Trust, Betrayal, and Love
by firegirl131
Summary: Talpa is gone and peace has returned, giving the Ronins a chance to relax and continue on through life. But a new enemy arrives and is determined to make the world in his own image, using an old friend to get in-between Ryo and Tiffany. Trust is formed and broken and love is questioned. Will the Ronin Warriors be able to prevail in all the chaos? Sequel to Spirit From Within.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is the next book for my series so I hope you enjoy.**

 **I don't own Ronin Warriors and all OCs are mine.**

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Chapter 1

Tiffany sat in her room of lavender flowers, breathing in their calming sent. A book was on her lap and the sounds of birds chirping in the air were her music as she read. Tiffany glanced up from her book to the scenery in front of her. A wall of trees stood in front of her and the trees were starting to change colors for the season. An array of orange and yellow leaves with a hint of green were displayed in front of her. Tiffany smiled at this then turned around to look at her home which she had received only a few weeks ago.

 **FLASHBACK**

It had been a few weeks since Talpa's defeat and everyone was getting back to living their lives. Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen went back to live with their families and continue with their schooling. Kayura had left to go back to the Nether World after a few days of spending time with her parents to fix it up with the ex-Warlords' help. Yulie went back home and is now focusing his attention on going to school. Mia had received an internship at a university in Tokyo and she would be there for four years.

Ryo and Tiffany were staying at Tiffany's parents place. Tiffany had brought Ryo to meet them the day after Kayura and Tiffany went home. Tiffany's mom, Mizuki, immediately welcomed Ryo to her home while Tiffany's father, Hayate, was a little more distant. He didn't like the fact that there was a boy in Tiffany's life, but after he got to know Ryo a little more, Hayate slowly warmed up to him. The new couple had been living together for a few weeks now and they felt a little uncomfortable being around Mizuki and Hayate; Tiffany especially.

One day, Ryo and Tiffany had just finished lunch when Mizuki came into the room. "Tiffany, can you and Ryo run an errand for me?"

"Sure, mom. What do you need?" Tiffany asked, standing up.

"I need you to go to this area in the woods. Kalana knows the way there."

"She does?"

Mizuki smiled then nodded.

"Ok, what do you need me to do then?"

"You'll find out when you get there."

Tiffany gave her a questioning look but left the house with Ryo. They walked over to Kalana and White Blaze. Kalana was in her cat form and was curled up on top of White Blaze, both asleep, but woke up when they heard their masters walking towards them.

"Kalana, let's go. Mom says you know the way."

Kalana jumped off White Blaze, stretching, then transformed into her wolf form. White Blaze started to get up as well but Ryo said, "You can stay, Blaze." The tiger yawned and laid back down, going back to sleep.

Tiffany and Ryo got on Kalana and Tiffany told her to go. The wolf took off toward the location Mizuki had shown her. The three traveled through the forest until they came upon a road. Kalana traveled on it and soon, they all arrived in front of a brick house. The couple walked up to the front door and saw a note sticking to it. Tiffany took it off and started reading it aloud.

 _Hello!_

 _Hayate and I were talking and we thought you two deserve a place to yourselves. We could tell how uncomfortable you two felt around us, so we're giving this house to you. We meant to give it to you and Kayura but Kayura has her own home now._ _As long as you and Kayura come to visit every once in a while, I'll be happy. Don't be a stranger!_ _But enjoy the house. Everything is furnished and stocked with food and there are enough rooms if you want to have friends over. The key is underneath the mat._

 _We love you,_

 _Mom and Dad_

Tiffany bent down and lifted the mat, spotting two keys underneath it. She grabbed them and used one of them to open the door. Stepping into the house, Ryo and Tiffany looked around. The entrance lead to a set of stairs going to the second floor and also to the kitchen down the hall. A small bathroom was on the right on the way to the kitchen. The kitchen had light brown cabinets and a garnet countertop. The microwave was a few inches above the stove and the pantry was across from the appliances, facing them. Next to the pantry was the fridge and freezer and then more counterspace and cabinets. In another room on the left was the living room with a TV on the wall on top of the fireplace and a couch in front of it.

Walking back to the entrance, they went to another room on the right which was the lounge room with two couches, a recliner, and another TV on top of a TV stand. Directly across from the lounge was the dining room, with a view of the pool in the backyard.

Interested in the pool, Tiffany walked through the kitchen to the sliding glass door leading to the backyard. She stepped out onto a concrete porch with a roof over it. A set of wooden stairs lead to the wooden deck around the oval shaped pool. Tiffany also noticed a gazebo in the left-hand corner of the backyard. A line of trees lined the outskirts of the backyard and trees were on both sides of the house as well, no neighbors in sight.

"What a view," Tiffany commented.

"It is nice," agreed Ryo. "Let's see what's upstairs."

Tiffany nodded and followed him back inside. They walked towards the stairs leading up and noticed the floors changed. The first floor was all hardwood except for the kitchen which was tiled. The stairs were carpeted and so was the second floor. At the top of the stairs, there were halls on both sides as well as a door leading to the second bathroom. On the left-hand side, there were two bedrooms, each with two beds, two dressers, two desks, and a closet. On the right-hand side, there was a bedroom with a queen-size bed, a dresser, desk, and a closet. There were two huge hall closets against the wall on the left and another door on the left.

They opened the door and were faced with a king-sized bed and two dressers. There were two doors in this room: one of which was the bathroom and the other one being a walk-in closet. They left the master bedroom and walked back downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, Tiffany noticed another door and opened it, finding another set of carpeted stairs going down. They walked downstairs to the basement and, to the right, found two more beds with a dresser facing the bed. A couch was against the wall which Ryo found that it can be pulled out into another bed. There was another bathroom in the corner of the room. On the left, there was a laundry room and the garage. There was a room across the stairs for gardening and yard equipment.

"Wow," was all Ryo could say after they both got back upstairs.

"I know. I didn't think my parents were able to pull this off." Tiffany looked around the house. "But I'm glad we have this place to ourselves." She reached out and grabbed Ryo's hand. "A place to call our own." Ryo smiled at her then pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned down and kissed her lips.

 **END FLASHBACK**

Tiffany smiled at the memory of it all. They had moved in all the stuff a few days after they received their house. From then to now, she had finished her project for the gazebo as well and loved how it turned out.

"Whatcha doing out here?"

Tiffany turned around to see Ryo walking into the gazebo. "Just reading." Ryo nodded and sat down next to her, looking around. "I like what you've done. Where did you get the flowers from?"

"There's a field of lavender flowers near the hut I stayed at. I took some from there and put them in the pots in here." Tiffany glance around at the row of lavender flowers around the walls of the gazebo. "I thought it would be easier to have them here instead of going all the way to the field to relax and unwind." Ryo nodded at her explanation. "But the question is, what are you doing?" Ryo got up and then grabbed her hand, pulling her up. "There's something I want to show you." Ryo lead her back into the house and up the stairs to the master bedroom. He brought her inside and closed the door behind them.

"What do you want to-" Tiffany was cut-off by Ryo picking her up, bridal style, and carried her over to the bed, laying her down on it. Tiffany giggled as Ryo got on top of her, smiling down at her. "I hate you."

Ryo hummed. "I love you too." He leaned down and kissed her lips. Tiffany wrapped her arms around Ryo's neck and she deepened the kiss. The next thing she knew, both of their clothes were in a pile on the floor and Tiffany's mind entered a state a bliss. She couldn't focus on anything as Ryo kissed and sucked on a spot on her neck below her ear. A moan escaped from her lips as Tiffany racked her nails down Ryo's back, earning a growl from him.

Moans and pants filled the room but was stilled after a loud scream of pleasure was heard. The couple fell back against the bed, entwined in the sheets. Tiffany cuddled onto Ryo's chest, nuzzling her head in the crook of his neck. Ryo brushed a few strands of hair away from her face before kissing her forehead and then wrapped his arms around her, tracing patterns up and down her back with his fingers. Tiffany's eyes slowly closed from the motion, the sound of Ryo's beating heart being the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Ronin Warriors and OCs are mine.**

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Chapter 2

Light shown through the curtains of the bedroom but stopped just short of the bed, not disturbing the person getting their much needed rest.

A loud beep cut through the silence and a groan was heard from the sleeping figure. A hand reached out and slammed down on the clock, silencing the beep. Tiffany sat up in bed, raising her arms above her head, and let out a sigh. She got up from bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and walked over to the dresser. She took out a pair of black dress pants, a dark blue blouse, and changed into it. The bathroom door was closed, the sound of the shower going told Tiffany Ryo was in there so she used the mirror in their bedroom to comb through her hair. She walked out of the room and down the stairs, the smell of bacon and eggs making her stomach rumble.

In the kitchen, Cye stood in front of the stove, making eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Morning, Cye," greeted Tiffany.

Cye turned around and smiled. "Morning, Tiffany. Do you want breakfast?"

"Just the eggs will be fine for me."

Cye scooped a handful of eggs onto a plate and handed it to Tiffany, who want to the fridge and got the orange juice. She poured herself a cup of it then sat down and started eating. Two years ago, the guys were looking at colleges to go to and all of them attended Toyama University and the house Ryo and Tiffany were living was closer than where the others lived. Plus, they didn't have to pay for housing and the only "payment" Tiffany required was that everyone contributed to taking care of the house whether it be something as small as taking out the trash or cleaning around the house.

Cye and Kento also took turns buying groceries since they have part-time jobs after classes. Kento worked at his family's restaurant while Cye had an internship at the aquarium. Sage was learning the ropes at his grandfather's dojo for he will be taking over once Sage's grandfather deems him ready. Sage and Cye have cars so they take the guys to college and back, depending if they have to work that day or not.

Tiffany finished her breakfast then washed her dishes and went upstairs to finish getting ready. At the top, the door to the bathroom opened and Sage walked out. "Morning, Sage." Tiffany looked closely at Sage's hair. "Your hair is sticking on top."

"What?" He went back into the bathroom to check but stopped when he heard Tiffany laughing. "Very funny, Tiffany." Sage was the chick-magnet at college and all the girls flock to him, at least that's what the guys tell Tiffany at dinner so Tiffany decided to mess with him whenever she got the chance.

Tiffany walked into the bedroom to see Ryo already out of the shower but only his pants were on, showing off his tan, broad back. She stood in the doorway, admiring the sight in front of her. "See something you like?" Ryo turned to her, giving her a sly smile.

"I do, actually, but first I'd like to know how did you know it was me?" Tiffany asked, walking towards him.

"Because you don't knock when you come in." Ryo wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "The guys do before they come in but you're the only one that walks in without knocking."

Tiffany hummed and Ryo gave her a short kiss. "Are we still meeting for lunch?"

"Hopefully. We were so busy yesterday and we might be busy again today."

"I don't know. I'm sure Iris will let you off work."

Iris was Tiffany's boss and, surprisingly, Ryo's nanny growing up. Tiffany still remembered the day she first found out.

 **FLASHBACK**

Tiffany was about to start folding clothes when Ryo came into the store. She gave him a questioning look as she walked over to him. "Ryo, what are you doing here?"

"You forgot your lunch," Ryo answered her, giving her a brown paper bag. "Plus, I wanted to see you."

"Thanks, but my next break is not for a few hours, and you need to go before-"

"Ryo!" The two turned around as a middle-aged woman with black hair up in a bun and brown eyes walking towards the two. "It's been so long!" The woman brought Ryo into a hug. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. You?"

"Great, but you didn't tell me this was your girlfriend."

"You two know each other?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah, Iris was my nanny growing up," answered Ryo. "My father hired her to take care of me while he was away."

"Really?"

"Yes, oh I have stories of him when he was younger. He was such a rambunctious child and-"

"Well, I should probably get back to class," Ryo suddenly said. "Have a good day, hun." Ryo kissed Tiffany's cheek then hurried out of the store.

Iris smiled at him leave then turned to Tiffany. "You can always get guys to turn tail and run when you start talking about how they were when they were young."

"You were really his nanny?"

"Yup. There were days he didn't talk to me and days when he got into loads of trouble. But one day, I had to nanny another boy across town so I took Ryo with me. Those two got along great and it was the first time I saw Ryo genuinely happy. At the end, he asked when we could go back. Next thing I knew, Ryo had made four new friends that he considered his brothers." Iris turned to her and smiled. "And now he has a wonderful person like you."

Tiffany nodded at the explanation, a small smile spreading across her face. "Now, I'll take this in the back while you continue your work."

"Yes, ma'am."

 **END FLASHBACK**

"Just because Iris was your nanny doesn't mean she'll let me go."

Ryo shrugged. "You never know. But I'll still come by at lunch and see if you can get off. If not, I'll just grab something to go and head back to the university."

A knock sounded at the door and the two turned around to see Rowen standing in the doorway. "Are you guys ready to go? Sage and I are going to leave now for we have questions for our professors."

"I'm ready to go so I'll leave with you," answered Tiffany then turned to Ryo. "I'll see you later." The two shared a kiss and Tiffany left the room with Rowen. They got downstairs and walked outside with Sage to his car. They all got in and Sage started the car and drove towards the city. They're twenty minutes away from the city and Tiffany's work was a few blocks before the university so the guys were able to drop her off and Tiffany took the bus home from work.

They arrived in front of the mall and Tiffany got out, wishing Sage and Rowen a good day before closing the door. The car drove off and Tiffany walked into Favore Mall where she worked in a clothing store called Green Parks. The mall was two stories with stores on both floors, a food court on the first, and an arcade and movie theater on the second floor.

Tiffany walked into the store, greeting some of her co-workers as she went to the back to clock in and start her day.

The day went by smoothly and there were no rushes or busy hours. It was a nice and steady pace. The staff was happy to catch a break and actually have a non-stressed day.

"If it could be like this for the rest of the week, I'll be happy with life," Rika said, folding a T-shirt.

"But if it's like this all the time, then we would have nothing to do," stated Fumi, putting the rejected clothes back on the racks. "We would be standing around doing nothing."

"It wouldn't get like that, Fumi. We're a clothing store; people will always come in. I was talking about having a week where it's slow like today and we don't have to worry about the customers every three minutes."

"That would be nice," agreed Tiffany. "Either that or just a week where the mall is closed for a week and we don't have to worry about coming in."

"Excuse me," a voice cut in.

The trio turned around to a woman standing behind them. Tiffany almost had to do a double-take. This woman looked exactly like her beside from her emerald eyes. The woman stared at Tiffany and a big smile broke out across her face.

"Can I help you?" Tiffany asked after the shook wore off.

"No, I found what I'm looking for, Tiffany."

"How…how do you know my name?"

"They didn't tell you?" The woman shook her head in disbelief.

"Who didn't tell me what?"

"I'm Asami, I'm your mother."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The guys had finished with their morning classes and were hanging outside in the courtyard, doing some of the homework they had received.

"This is so boring!" Kento exclaimed, falling back against the grass. "Why do I have to learn this stuff? I've been working in the restaurant for years."

"But you don't know all the details that go into it," stated Sage. "You need to know this if something comes up." Both Sage and Kento were studying business since they are both taking over a family business.

"It's ok, Kento, you'll get it," reassured Cye.

"Easy for you to say; you aren't learning this."

"I do have to take some business classes just in case." Cye was studying to become a chef and while he did take a lot of food prep classes at a different college, he transferred over to take some business classes in case he wanted to own a restaurant. But for now, Cye would be happy just to cook.

"I think Ryo and I have the easiest classes out of all of you," stated Rowen.

"Your classes are a bit more complicated than mine, Rowen." Rowen was learning to be a teacher. He wanted to teach astronomy so he's taking the classes to be a teacher then transferring over to another college that specified in space.

Ryo, on the other hand, was still trying to decide what he wanted to do. When he first started, Ryo took basic classes but as time went on, he slowly got an idea of what he wanted to do. He either wanted to be an athletic trainer or join the police force. For now, he is going to finish the classes he was taking and then decided where his life would take him.

"Ryo, aren't you going to meet Tiffany for lunch?" Cye asked.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost noon."

"I should probably get going." Ryo collected his books and stood up. "I'll be back in an hour." He swung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking over to the mall. It was only five blocks away from the college so he didn't have to worry about getting on the bus. He walked into the mall and headed over to Green Parks, walking into the store. Two co-workers were talking amongst themselves with worried expressions on their faces but stopped when they saw Ryo walk in. He walked over to the two. "Can you tell me where Tiffany is?"

They were about to answer when Iris walked over. "Thank goodness you're here." She grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the back. "Tiffany needs you."

"Why, what happened?"

"I don't know the full story but this woman came in and said something. Her co-workers said she froze and looked like she was about to pass out but she just ran to the back. The woman tried to go after her but I stopped her and told her to leave the store. I went back to Tiffany and tried to get her to talk to me but she wouldn't answer me. I think she might talk to you though."

They walked in the break room to see Tiffany sitting in a chair, her head in her hands. Ryo knelt in front of her, gently pulling her hands away from her face and holding them in her hands. "Tiffany?"

Tiffany shook her head. "It can't be true," is all she muttered.

"What can't be true?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath then opened them. "This woman came in and said she was my mother."

"What?"

"I didn't know how to respond so I just ran." Tiffany looked up at Ryo. "My parents…no, Mizuki and Hayate, they wouldn't lie to me about my life." She didn't let Ryo answer as she rambled. "But the woman looked so much like me and she knew my name. She has to know me but she can't be my mother."

"Tiffany-"

"And Kayura, she wouldn't be my sister anymore."

"Tiffany-"

"But then how did I end up with them? And why would they lie to me about-"

"Tiffany!"

"What?!"

"It's going to be ok; we'll figure this out."

"No, not we."

"What-"

"I need to figure this out for myself." Tiffany stood up. "I need to talk with my par-I mean, Mizuki and Hayate. I'll do that after work."

"No, Tiffany," said Iris. "I want you to take the rest of the day and tomorrow off. If what that woman said was true, you might need some time to process this. I'll have you work Friday but if you still need time, call me and let me know."

"Ok." Tiffany clocked out for the day and followed Ryo out of the store. She didn't feel like eating; she just wanted to go home. Ryo tried to convince her to let him walk her home but Tiffany declined, telling him to go back to college and finish his classes for the day. He reluctantly agreed but he said he would follow her to the bus stop and then made sure she got on the bus before he walked back. So, in silence, the couple walked over to the bus stop and they waited for the bus to arrive.

"Don't tell the guys what happened," Tiffany said, breaking the silence. "I need to find this out for myself before I tell them what happened."

Ryo nodded. He then brought her into a hug and Tiffany rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. She didn't know what to think anymore or if she wanted to know the truth but she needed to, to know if this woman was her mother or not.

The bus pulled up and Tiffany got on it after giving Ryo a parting kiss. The bus drove away and, on the drive, Tiffany's mind was elsewhere; she was not paying attention to what was going on. She was so deep in thought that when she looked out the window, they were already at her stop. She got off and waited for the bus to leave before calling for Kalana. The wolf bounded up towards her, wagging her tail but stopped when she saw the distraught look on Tiffany's face. Tiffany got on her back and said, "Take me to the village."

Kalana took off toward the path of her village and it wasn't long before they got there. Tiffany jumped off the wolf and headed towards her house, a determined look on her face. She walked through the front door, where Mizuki was sitting in the kitchen and smiled at Tiffany's arrival. "Tiffany, what a pleasant surprise. How are-"

"Who is Asami?"

"What?"

"A woman came in today and said that she was my mother. Her name is Asami and she knew my name so I'm asking, who is Asami?"

Mizuki froze, her eyes widening, but then let out a deep breath. "Hayate." He came into the room. "It's time."

Hayate looked at Tiffany. "Sit down, there is something you need to know."

Tiffany sat at the table across from them. "What Asami said is true; she is your mother." Tiffany clenched her fists, trying to catch her breath. "But she is also my sister."

"So…you're my aunt and uncle. Then Kayura would be my-"

"Cousin, yes."

"Why did you keep this from me?"

"Your mother came to us one day, saying she needed you to be hidden," explained Hayate. "She didn't go into detail but all she said was take care of you. You were only a baby at the time and Kayura was around the same age, she wouldn't remember the day, so we told you that you were born a year apart."

"So, my hair wasn't that special then," Tiffany said, remembering them telling her as a child that she was born special because of the color of her hair.

"You still were," confirmed Mizuki, a smile on her face. "I was there for your birth and, at the time, your mother's hair was blue so when you were born, your hair was golden. That's why your mother named you Tiffany, because you were special."

A small smile crept across Tiffany's face but it quickly faded. "Why did you wait so long to tell me though? Why did you let me believe I was your daughter?"

"Your mother said she was going to come back for you but didn't say when. All she said was you were in danger and that you needed to be hidden. She would come back for you when everything was over and done with."

"Why was I in danger?"

"We don't know. I'm pretty sure it had something to do your father," Hayate sneered. "That bastard."

"Hayate!"

"That guy was trouble from the moment I saw him! If Tiffany was in danger, I assumed it was because of him."

"My father?"

"Your father had…issues," Mizuki said. "Your mother talked about leaving him one day but it must have gotten to the point where she couldn't trust him around you." Mizuki reached out and placed a hand over Tiffany's. "But even though you were never our daughter, we still loved you like you were our own. We never pretended."

Tiffany smiled at her. "I knew you weren't but hearing that a stranger, who I didn't know, was my mother was surprising and over-whelming. I wished I knew about it sooner though."

"We were afraid if we told you, you wouldn't love us anymore or worse, hate us."

"I could never hate you." Tiffany walked over to them and drew them into a hug. "I love you." Mizuki and Hayate hugged her back. "We love you too." Mizuki kissed Tiffany's forehead. "And you're always welcomed back here. Don't think that because we aren't your actual parents that you don't have to visit us anymore. We're still family and I still expect you and Kayura to stop by."

"I will." Tiffany stood up. "But I need to head back. I have to figure things out, especially how to find my mother."

"Ok, sweetie."

Tiffany bid her aunt and uncle farewell and went back home with Kalana. Mizuki and Hayate watched them leave, silence between them when Hayate broke it asking, "Why didn't you tell her where to find Asami?"

"I couldn't bear it. If Tiffany knew we had the location of her mother as well, she probably would have flipped." Mizuki shook her head, tears forming. "I didn't want to see the hated look aimed at us; I wouldn't be able to control myself."

Hayate brought Mizuki into his arms. "We kept the information about her actual parents from her all these years and she took it ok. I don't think she would have exploded at us. Are you sure it's not the fact that you feel like you're losing another daughter."

"No…maybe…I don't know." Mizuki buried her face in Hayate's chest, trying to keep the tears at bay. Hayate stroked her hair and rubbed her back.

"It's ok, my love. Tiffany is still with us and she will still come visit." Hayate made his wife look at him and gave her a smile. "She is not going to forget about us, I promise." He wiped the tears from her face then kissed her forehead. "We should write Asami and tell her where Tiffany lives so she can go talk to her." Mizuki nodded in agreement and they both went inside to start the letter.

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 **Review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't own Ronin Warrior. All OCs are mine.**

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Chapter 4

Tiffany was lying on the bench in the gazebo with a blanket wrapped around her. Kalana was curled up beside her and White Blaze was laying on the floor.

When Tiffany had got home with Kalana, she grabbed a blanket and went to the gazebo with the animals following her. Tiffany sat on the bench, wrapping the blanket around her. Tears weld up in her eyes and she squeezed them shut to keep herself from crying but the tears escaped and Tiffany laid down on the bench. The tears rolled silently down her cheeks and Tiffany made no movement to wipe them away.

Footsteps were heard and White Blaze opened his eyes. He got up and headed over to Ryo, nuzzling his leg. Ryo smiled at his friend and then scratched him behind the ear. Afterwards, Ryo walked into the gazebo, stopping at the entrance.

Tiffany paid no mind to Ryo, not even looking at him as Ryo walked over and knelt in front of her. He reached out his hand and rested it on the side of her face, using his thumb to wipe away stray tears that escaped from her eyes. Ryo didn't have to ask; he could tell that the woman Tiffany met today was her actual mother. Neither talked, embracing in the silence, when Ryo broke it, asking: "What can I do to help?"

"I just want to be alone," Tiffany answered, her voice cracking.

Ryo sighed then kissed her forehead. "Don't stay out too long; it's going to get cold out."

Tiffany nodded. Ryo walked out of the gazebo and back toward the house, with White Blaze in tow. They walked inside and Rowen walked into the room. "Hey." He stopped when he saw a worried look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Tiffany."

"Why? What happened?"

Before Ryo could reply, a knock sounded at the door.

"I got it!" Cye called, heading to the door. He opened it to see a woman with long blonde hair on the other side. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Tiffany," she answered, stepping in. "I was told she lives here."

Ryo and Rowen walked into the entranceway to see the woman. Ryo crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm guessing your Tiffany's actual mom." Rowen and Cye turned to Ryo with a shocked look on their faces.

"Yes, I'm Asami. And you are?"

"I'm Ryo…Tiffany's boyfriend."

Asami widen her eyes then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out afterwards. She then smiled at him. "It's…nice to meet you. Is Tiffany home?"

"Yes, but she wants to be alone."

"Can you let her know I'm here? If she doesn't want to see me, I'll leave."

"No, stay." Everyone turned around to see Tiffany standing in the kitchen. "I want to know the truth." Asami nodded and Tiffany lead her into the backyard. Out of earshot, Rowen turned to Ryo. "Actual mother?"

"It's not my story to tell," Ryo explained. "Apparently, Asami came into the store and told Tiffany she was her mother. I don't know the full story but Tiffany wanted to tell you guys herself."

"I'm sure she wouldn't want to talk after everything that happened to her today," said Cye. "We should probably leave her alone unless she wants to talk."

Ryo and Rowen nodded in agreement. "We'll relay this to Sage and Kento when they get home."

* * *

Outside, Tiffany was sitting in the gazebo across from Asami. Kalana was on her lap and Tiffany stroked her fur, trying to keep herself steady.

"So…you have a boyfriend," Asami started, trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"No, we're not talking about my personal life," stated Tiffany. "I want to know what happened. Why did you give me away?"

"I didn't give you away. I was only protecting you from…"

"Protecting me from what?"

Asami sighed, casting her eyes downward at her hands clasped on her lap. "Your father." The wind whistled through the trees, blowing the women's hair. Tiffany was stunned, frozen in place that she only snapped out of it when Kalana nudged her hand to move again. "I'm going to need a little bit more than that."

"For you to understand, I need to explain the place you were born in." Asami looked up at Tiffany. "As you know, Mizuki and I are sisters and we were born in the same clan and each person born has a gift, a special power that is unlocked at a certain time. These powers could be elemental, mental, or physical and whatever power was unlocked could change the color of their hair."

"What do you mean?"

"Each person is born with blue hair but depending on what power you could get, it changed color. Mizuki's hair turned a darker, almost midnight, blue because her ability is telepathy, which is a mental power. People with mental powers have dark blue hair. That is how she was able to tell me where you lived and how I found you so fast. If the power was physical, the hair would change to brown. Elemental powers reflect whatever element it is. Fire is red, earth is green, air is white, and water is a lighter shade of blue, almost like a sky blue."

"What about my hair color?" Tiffany touched her hair. "I always remember being it blonde."

"You were born special. Instead of having blue hair, you were born with blonde hair. The elders were shocked for they had never seen anything like it before. It was later revealed, by a monk named Kaos, that you would become a Warrior Priestess, purifing demons and having incredible power." Asami smiled at her. "That's why I named you Tiffany, because you were unique and needed a unique name."

Tiffany smiled back at her. "But then…what does this have to do with father."

Asami's smile faded. "Your father was a troubled man. His hair color stayed the same throughout his life and he wondered why his powers hadn't come yet. I tried to tell him that mine haven't come either but he wouldn't listen. Then, when you were born and he heard what you would become, something changed inside him. He kept sneaking away at night and wouldn't tell me what he was doing or where he was going. All he ever said was he was going to change the world.

"One day, I noticed his hair had changed color but it was pitch black; it was the color of one who would fester in dark magic and evil spirits. I saw his plans of using your powers to unleash a demon army upon the world. Fearing your safety, I took you to Mizuki's, who was living in a different clan with her husband and new born daughter. I asked her to take care of you while I dealt with your father. When I went back, your father was furious. He demanded that I tell him where you were but I refused, telling him I wouldn't allow him to use you as a weapon. That's when…" Asami stopped, closing her eyes and looking away.

"That's when what?" Tiffany urged.

"Your father used his powers to attack the clan. He called forth spirits and demons to attack and kill the villagers. I found my power that day too; the same as yours. I managed to kill most of the spirits and demons while some ran away. I managed to subdue your father but I couldn't bring myself to kill him. He was my husband and your father but I think some part of me still did see him as my loving husband. I tried to think of a way to secure him without killing him or giving him a chance to escape.

"That's when Kaos came back and revealed that I could seal him away in an ancient realm where I would have to take away his powers so that he couldn't escape and he would be trapped there forever. I agreed and I used my powers to take all the dark magic out of his body and seal that magic in a scared jar. With Kaos and the elders, we performed a ceremony to send your father to the ancient realm and seal him there. I then went on a quest to find the perfect place to hide your father's sealed magic in case he somehow escaped. It took a while but I did find a place and used my power to hide it and make sure it would never be found by anyone except for me."

"I understand now why you did all this but why wait till now to come and get me?"

"I waited a few years to see if anyone would to come and set your father free or if he would to escape somehow. When I was sure that you would be safe, I came to get you but was stopped by Kaos. He said an evil emperor named Talpa knew of you and wanted to use you to set your father free. I knew if that happened, I had to protect the seal if Talpa decided to try anything?"

"Wait? The nine armors and myself are the key to setting father free?"

"How do you know?"

"Talpa did try to perform a ceremony when we fought but I didn't know it was that one."

"You fought Talpa?!"

"Long story, but is that the key?"

"Yes, it is, and I'm glad Talpa never got to complete the ceremony."

"He never started it. We killed him before he had a chance."

Asami nodded. "It's good that he's dead though."

"There is one thing I still need to know. It's been two years since Talpa died so why didn't you come get me afterwards?"

"That doesn't matter," Asami lied, smiling at her. "The important thing now is we can start again. Everyone is waiting for you to come home and I already have a suitor picked out for you and-"

"What?"

"Tiffany, we can be together again."

"You think I'll leave everything I have made here. I have friends and a boyfriend. I'm not going to drop everything and go to a place I don't know about, especially when you have picked out my 'suitor.'"

"You can make new friends. And the man I've picked out for you is a much better fit than Ryo."

"And how would you know? You just met Ryo and you assume this man is better than Ryo." Tiffany scoffed. "I've known Ryo for two years now." She stood up. "I think we've talked long enough and I'm sure you need to get going. Tell this suitor I'm not interested." Tiffany walked out of the gazebo.

"Don't you dare walk away from your mother!" Asami grabbed hold of Tiffany's hand and Kalana transformed, growling at her. Asami took a step back then turned to glare at Tiffany. "This demon attacked your home and you let it lived."

"If you haven't noticed, Kalana is my friend and I purified her."

"She could turn on you!"

"I purified her when I was thirteen." Tiffany turned to her mother. "I also saved another demon, helped the Ronin Warriors fight and kill Talpa, and purified my cousin, Kayura, and saved her soul from his dark magic. But you want to know the best part?" Tiffany raised her hand and the elements danced around her body. "I have the powers of the elements." She smirked at Asami's shocked expression. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Tiffany lowered her hand and then turned back around. "Please leave."

Asami stared at Tiffany's back then walked around her, leaving the backyard. Tiffany waited till she was gone then ran back in the house. She ran up the stairs, ignoring the questions from the guys, and into her bedroom, slamming the door shut. She fell on the bed, burying her face in the pillow. Kalana scratched the door from the other side, meowing so she could go in to comfort her mistress.

Ryo walked up and opened their door, letting Kalana in first before walking in and closing the door. He slowly walked over to the bed and got on, wrapping his arms around Tiffany. He pulled her close to him so her back was resting against his chest and didn't say anything. Tiffany placed her arms on his, gripping them as she cried. She needed this; no comforting words or anything, just being held was enough for her. They stayed like that for the rest of the night.

* * *

Asami walked back to the village, a frown on her face. This wasn't the plan that was supposed to happen. She needed to get Tiffany back to the village but she wasn't able to. As she walked in, Asami looked around at the statues surrounding the courtyard. Faces of terror greeted her and Asami looked away, shutting her eyes. _I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough_. She walked into her house where a man was sitting on the couch, waiting for her return. "I see that you have failed," the man said, his back still to Asami.

"What do you expect? She hasn't seen me in twenty years, did you think she was just going to come willingly?" Asami spat.

The man tsked. "Careful, Asami. We wouldn't want to hurt these people, would we? Or better yet, your sister?"

Asami cast her eyes downward. "I'm...sorry. Forgive me, Kai."

"Apology accepted." The man, Kai, got up and turned to her. "I guess we're going to have to go with our second plan then. But we're going to need the location of Sephiran's magic first."

* * *

 **A new enemy? Wait to find out. Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Ronin Warriors, but OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Ryo, Rowen, and Sage just got back from their classes while Kento and Cye went to go work at their jobs. Rowen and Sage started to do homework they received for today but Ryo went to go check on Tiffany. He could tell she was still upset this morning but didn't want to bother her so he just let her rest. Thinking that Tiffany was in the gazebo, Ryo walked outside but he heard splashing and was surprised to see Tiffany in the pool instead of the gazebo.

Tiffany had just finished her tenth lap to the end of the pool and back when she saw Ryo walking up to the pool deck. She laid her arms on the edge of the pool and smiled at him. "Hey, how were classes?"

"They were fine, a little boring at times." Ryo sat down on the deck next to Tiffany. "How are you?"

"I'm feeling better. A few laps around the pool helped me to relax and put my mind at ease for a while."

"That's good." Ryo stood up as Tiffany got out of the pool. He grabbed her beach towel hanging over the railing and wrapped it around Tiffany. She thanked him then proceeded to dry herself off, squeezing as much water out of her hair as she can. "You look tense," Ryo commented, seeing how strained Tiffany seemed when drying herself off.

Tiffany grimaced. "This whole week threw me off I guess. I think I might take a bubble bath tonight to relax myself."

"How about I give you a massage tonight before bed?"

"That would be great," Tiffany sighed, smiling at him. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you." Ryo smiled back at her then lead her inside the house. Rowen and Sage looked up from their homework when Ryo and Tiffany walked in and the two gave the couple a smile. "Hi, Tiffany," greeted Rowen. "How are you?"

"I'm doing better. How are you two?"

"We're fine."

Tiffany nodded. "Are Cye and Kento home?"

"No, they're at work," answered Sage. "They won't be home until around dinner."

"Ok, when they get home, I'll explain what happened yesterday. But for now, I'm going to take a shower." Tiffany left the kitchen and walked upstairs, leaving the guys to do their homework.

* * *

Kai walked up the side of a mountain, starring overhead at the skyline before him, then turned to Asami. "You sure this is the place you put it?" Kai burned his gaze into her eyes. "You're not just leading me astray?"

"No, it's here." Asami walked ahead of him. "I told you, I buried it so no one could find it." She walked up to a wall and moved her hand back, revealing a cave. She walked in to the end of the cave and, against a wall, a green jar with a cork in it sat on a pedestal of rocks. The closer Asami got, the more she could feel the dark magic and when she grabbed it, a chill ran down her spine. She brought it back out and held it out to Kai who grabbed it and unscrewed the cork. The black magic shot out of the jar and circled around it, almost as if it was trying to decide what to do.

"Here, my Master," Kai said, lowering a bag he carried with him on the ground. Armored pieces fell out of the bag, clanging against each other and the magic flew into the armored pieces, connecting them together until it formed into an armored warrior. The eyes glowed red as it looked at itself. "How do you feel, Master?"

"This is suitable for now," a deep voice called from the armor. "But I'll feel better when I get my body back."

"Of course, Master."

Asami glared at the armored, her gaze burning with hatred. "Sephiran."

The armor looked at Kai but his gaze settled on Asami. "Well, if it isn't my dear little wife. My, how little you've changed over…?"

"Twenty years," said Asami.

"Twenty years? I see time flies in exile." The armored laugh, "I find it ironic that you'll be helping me get free."

"I had no choice."

Sephiran hummed then turned to the world around him. "Look at this world. Soon it'll be mine, but first, we need to make a stop."

* * *

In the newly redone Neither World, Kayura snapped her gaze up from the book she was reading. She could tell something wasn't right but she didn't know what. Grabbing the Ancient's staff, Kayura walked into the main hall where Anubis and Dais were sitting, playing a game of chess. They both turned to her when she entered. "Is something wrong, Kayura?" Anubis asked, noticing the worried look on Kayura's face.

"I sense something is wrong in the human world," stated Kayura.

"Do we need to alert the Ronin Warriors?" Dais asked, starting to stand but sat back down at Kayura's raised hand. "No, I will go down. I just want to know if they sensed anything and, if not, I will keep them on alert. Just watch over the Neither World while I'm gone."

"Ok."

Kayura raised her staff and it glowed, transporting her down to the human world and Dais and Anubis continued their chess game. Sekhmet came into the room then, worry and stress apart on his face.

"What's wrong?" Anubis demanded, getting up from his seat along with Dais.

"A group of people are in the Nether World and I sense powerful energy from one of them," explained Sekhmet.

They ran outside of the castle to stand next to Cale, who had saw the group arrive and reported it to Sekhmet. The four looked at Sephiran, Kai, and Asami as they walked closer to them.

"Whoever you are, leave this place now," warned Anubis.

Sephiran huffed, looking around the beautiful landscape and living scenery. "What a dump this place has become. This world used to be surrounded in darkness but now, light has come through."

"Did you not hear us? We said leave!" Cale exclaimed, donning his armor.

Sephiran turned to him, his eyes glowing red. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Warlords. Excuse me, ex-Warlords." Sephiran laughed. "But you'll do for what I have in mind."

"If you won't leave, I'll make you!" Cale charged at Sephiran, his nodaci raised but as he swiped his sword, Sephiran expelled from the armor and surrounded Cale in dark energy. During which, Kai chanted a spell and when the spell was done, a man with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes stood in Cale's spot, wearing his armor. The man smiled at Sephiran, who had transferred back to his armor, and knelt before him. "My Lord, you have returned."

"It's good to see you again, Karver."

"Cale, what the hell is wrong with you?!" exclaimed Dais.

Karver turned to the three. "I'm not this Cale. My name is Karver and I'm one of Sephiran's four generals." He pointed the nodaci at them. "With the same power as that of the armor of Corruption." He then charged at the three.

* * *

Tiffany had just finished explaining the events of yesterday to the guys. Ryo had an arm draped across her shoulder, slowly moving his hand up and down her arm to comfort her.

"Man, that's rough," Kento started. "I can't believe your mother wanted you to leave and start a life at that village."

"Why would your mother want to take you away?" Cye questioned. "You've never seen this village before and your mother is just expecting you to go there as if nothing happened?"

"I don't know the reasoning either," said Tiffany. "But after what she said about you guys, I couldn't leave."

"What did she say?" asked Rowen and then responded quickly with, "if you don't mind me asking."

"She was basically saying I could replace you with new friends and that she had found a suitor for me."

"What?" Ryo exclaimed, looking down at her.

"I know, I didn't believe it either. I even told her she didn't know you guys as long as I did so I told her not to assume anything. That's when I told her to leave and she did."

"Do you think she's going to come back?" asked Sage.

Tiffany shrugged. "I don't know."

A knock sounded at the door then and Rowen got up to answer it. He opened the door and was a little bit shocked by the person standing behind it. "Kayura, hi."

"Hello, Rowen," Kayura greeted, smiling at him. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Rowen stepped inside to let Kayura walk in and she immediately spotted everyone in the lounge. "Good, you're all here." She walked into the area.

"Kayura, what a pleasant surprise," Tiffany commented, smiling at her.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here on pleasantries." Kayura sat down on the recliner Rowen had occupied earlier, leaving him to lean against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm here to check on something with all of you."

"What is it?"

"Have either of you felt a…disturbance in your world?"

"A disturbance? What do you mean?" demanded Kento.

"Like an evil presence?" confirmed Cye.

"Yes. I felt something earlier today and I wanted to confirm with all of you if you felt anything recently."

"We haven't, Kayura," answered Ryo. "But we will let you know when we do."

Kayura nodded, her face looking grim. "Ok, but I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong."

* * *

Sephiran sat on the throne inside the castle, looking down at the four figures kneeling before him. "I welcome you all back to this world, my top generals," welcomed Sephiran.

"It is good to be back," agreed Malice, a man with short black hair and black eyes, wearing the armor of Cruelty.

"I look forward to serving you again," stated Fuzen, a man with shoulder-length red hair and red eyes, donning the armor of Illusion.

"We will make this world yours as you wanted all those years ago," promised Naga, a man with shoulder-length green hair and green eyes, wearing the armor of Venom.

Karver smirked. "Where should we start, Master?"

"First things first, we need to get my daughter. I'm sure she'll be surprised to see us." Sephiran turned to Asami. "Isn't that right, my dear?"

Asami nodded, not saying anything. She was dying on the inside right now. Sephiran had four armors needed to release himself and she only hoped Tiffany would be safe from Sephiran's attacks.

* * *

 **The situation is looking tense. Found out in the next chapter what happens. Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Don't own Ronin Warriors and OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 6

"We're cousins, not sisters?" Kayura asked, staring wide eyed at Tiffany. After Kayura had warned the Ronins to be on the lookout, Tiffany asked Kayura to go on a walk with her and they walked through the forest as Tiffany explained the events that yesterday.

"Yeah," Tiffany answered, not looking at her but her head raised when Kayura laid a hand on her shoulder. Kayura smiled at Tiffany. "That doesn't matter. You're still my sister, even if we're not."

Tiffany smiled back at her then hugged Kayura. "Hey, why don't you spend the night and then we can go visit Hayate and Mizuki."

"I would like that."

As they started making their way back to the house, a bolt of lightning struck the ground before them and, from the lightning, Malice stood in front of them, smiling evilly at them.

"Who are you?" demanded Kayura. "And where is Anubis?"

"Anubis is gone, sweetheart," Malice answered, "but I'm not here for you." He pointed his sickle at Tiffany. "I'm here for you. My master wants you."

"Tell your master I'm not going anywhere," Tiffany said. "Come, Armor of Spirits!" Her purple and silver armor appeared on her while Kayura transformed into her silver and red armor.

"I see I have two priestesses in front of me, but I only need the one." Malice swung his chain at the two and they dodged it, the chain digging into the ground and it split open. Tiffany fired her arrows at Malice but he deflected them with his sickle and then side-stepped to avoid Kayura's attack. Tiffany pulled an arrow back, focusing her energy on Malice. "Heaven's Fury!" She released the arrow and the energy flew towards Malice, striking him in the chest. The attack sent him back a few feet, his feet dragging in the dirt. When the attack faded, Malice still stood, smiling at the two. He slowly walked towards the two as he spun his chain slowly and menacingly, laughing at their shocked expressions.

"I'm stronger than this Anubis who originally wore this armor and I'll prove it." Malice swung his chain. "Scattering Vengeance!" He threw his sure-kill at them and the chain separated into many different chains, striking the girls. They screamed in pain, falling onto the ground.

Tiffany struggled to get up but a hand reached out, encasing around her throat and lifting her up. She was face to face with Malice. "It's time to go now." Tiffany scratched his hand in an attempt to let her go but he wouldn't loosen his grip around her neck. Her struggles became weak as she fought to stay conscious.

A roar cut through the air and Kalana jumped out of the trees, tackling Malice to the ground, which released his hold on Tiffany. Kalana swiped her claw at him, knocking off his helmet. Malice screamed in anger then threw Kalana off him. Kalana in front of Tiffany and Kayura as she growled at Malice.

The Ronins came out then in their sub-armor and stood next to the girls. Ryo helped Tiffany up as Rowen helped Kayura up. "Are you ok?" Ryo asked Tiffany and she nodded, rubbing her neck. Ryo looked at Malice and glared at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm not going to explain myself to you nor am I concerned with you," explained Malice. "I'm only here by my master to get the Priestess."

"Oh yeah?" Kento exclaimed, taking a step closer. "And why does your master want Tiffany?"

"None of your business." Malice glanced around at his opponents, making a decision. "I think I'll leave for now but I'll be back so keep your eyes peeled." He set his sights on Tiffany. "Especially you, my dear." He smiled and then disappeared from view.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know but I'm pretty sure it was the disturbance I was feeling earlier," explained Kayura.

"If they got Anubis, I'm pretty sure they got the others as well," Tiffany stated, looking at her. Kayura nodded, her eyes casting downward. "Don't. I know what you're thinking and it's not your fault. You couldn't have known this enemy could have gone after them."

"You're more than welcome to stay with us," invited Ryo.

"Thank you, Ryo, but I think I'll head over to my parents' place." Kayura turned to Tiffany. "Since there's a new enemy, I'd rather go to the village to warn and protect them."

Tiffany nodded. "I understand. Be safe and let them know I'm ok."

"I will, and you let me know if you need any help."

"Of course." The two hugged and then Kayura held up the staff. It glowed and surrounded Kayura in light, transporting her away to the village.

Ryo placed his hands on Tiffany's shoulders. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yes." Tiffany faced the guys. "I don't know what this new enemy wants with me but I'm sure it has something to do with what my mother told me. We're going to have to keep our eyes open for any new threats and make sure they don't attack the city."

"We might have to do patrols again," Sage stated.

Cye sighed. "I thought we would be done with all the fighting."

"We're Ronin Warriors, Cye," said Rowen, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's what we have to do."

"I know, but it was just nice not to have to worry about fighting or protecting the world from evil."

"It's been a while since we've had action, though" Kento said with a big smile on his face.

"Of course you would be happy about this."

"Let's go inside," said Ryo, ending any chance of Cye and Kento arguing. "We're going to need to rest and prepare ourselves for tomorrow in case this enemy tries anything tomorrow." They all agreed and walked back into the house.

* * *

"My daughter has allies?" Sephiran asked after hearing Malice's explanation of why Tiffany wasn't with him.

"Yes," confirmed Malice. "They were five men with the same armor as us."

"They must be the Ronin Warriors," affirmed Kai. "Now, we don't have to go searching for them for they are already with the Priestess."

"My Lord, why isn't your daughter already here?" Naga asked then set his sights on Asami. "I thought she would have been convinced to come here."

"She was determined not to come home," answered Asami. "She said she wasn't leaving her friends or her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Sephiran turned to her. "Our daughter is dating one of the Ronins?"

"Apparently. I briefly met him and his name is Ryo."

"Interesting."

"What should we do, Master?" wondered Fuzen.

Sephiran thought for a moment. If what Malice and Asami were telling him was true, then it might be even more difficult to get Tiffany here. They would be more cautious and make sure Tiffany was all right unless…

"That's it," he whispered.

"My Lord?" Kai asked, looking down at him.

Sephiran stood up from his throne. "I'm going to be gone for a few days. Kai, I put you in charge while I'm away."

Kai bowed. "Yes, my Lord."

"My generals, while I'm away, do not attack the Ronins or my daughter. There will be a day for that but as of now, prepare yourselves for an attack in the future."

The generals bowed. "Yes, my Lord."

Sephiran turned to Asami and laid a hand on her cheek. Asami flinched at the touch and refused to look at him. "As for you, my dear, don't try anything. Would hate to have anything happen to your dear sister." He slid his hand down her face to her chin, his thumb grazing over her lips. "If only I had my body," he whispered and Asami snapped her gaze to him but the moment she looked at him, he turned away and walked down the hall. Asami watched him go, wondering what he meant.

* * *

Tiffany was sitting on the bed, putting lotion on her legs and feet. "You're going into work tomorrow?" Ryo asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I think I'll be ok." Tiffany glanced up at him. "Plus, I'm not going to stay at home where I'm going to be paranoid all day. I'd rather be doing something and being surrounded by co-workers makes me a little bit safe."

Ryo nodded, saying nothing. Tiffany glanced up from him as she proceeded to put lotion on her other foot. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"You're too quiet and I know quiet means something's on your mind." Tiffany straightened up, putting the lotion on the nightstand. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I'm just worried. It's been two years and everything's fine. Now, this new enemy appears and he says his master wants you." Ryo sighed. "I kind of agree with Cye on this. I thought we would be able to live a normal life after the battle with Talpa and not worry about this anymore."

Tiffany gave him a small smile then scooted over, patting the spot on the bed beside her. Ryo walked over and sat down and Tiffany laid her head on Ryo's shoulder, grabbing one of his hands. "I know it's tough, believe me; I thought this was all over too. But it's our job to protect the world." Tiffany glanced up at him. "Everything's going to be fine. We'll get through this just as we got through with the battle with Talpa." Ryo looked down at her, smiling. He pressed his lips onto hers, lifting his other hand to caress her cheek. Tiffany parted the kiss, smiled at him, then gave him another quick kiss and a kiss on the forehead. "Let's go to bed." Tiffany turned around but Ryo's hands stopped her. She was about to ask what he was doing when he started massaging her shoulders.

"I did promise you a massage tonight," he told her as his thumbs dug into her shoulder blades, easing out the tension in them. Tiffany closed her eyes, sighing in content as she let Ryo work his magic on her shoulders. She felt his hand on her back, gently pushing it to signal her to lie down on her stomach and she did. Ryo's hands rubbed up and down her back, finding the areas with a lot of tension and working them out. Tiffany felt herself slowly start to relax and her eyelids grew heavy. After fighting to stay awake, she lost the battle and closed her eyes, succumbing to sleep.

Ryo continued to massage Tiffany until he heard her breathing even out. He stopped and smiled when he saw Tiffany had fallen asleep. He laid down beside her and slowly turned her over so she wasn't lying on her stomach then pulled the covers over them. Ryo kissed her cheek then whispered, "I love you." before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Sephiran waited outside the house for all the lights to go out. When the last light went out, he shifted out of his armor and floated over to the house. He slipped in through one of the open windows and floated around the house, trying to find the room his daughter was in. He slipped under the cracks of each door to find the right room till he came to the room Ryo and Tiffany were sleeping in. He observed the couple, watching them sleep encased in each other's arms. He floated over top of the couple then entered Ryo's mind, searching through his memories, watching the battle with Talpa to his earliest memories of his family. Sephiran was trying to find something to use against the two, something that would cause them to fight.

One memory in particular stood out and Sephiran watched over it. A young woman with long black hair was there during the first battle with Talpa. Sephiran watched as the two met and the experiences they had up until she died at Talpa's hand. _This might be useful to me,_ Sephiran thought. He gained the woman's name just in time as he heard hissing from the corner of the room.

Kalana stood at the entrance of the room, the hair on her back raising as she looked at the dark cloud hovering over Ryo. She continued to hiss as the cloud slowly backed away then floated over to the window. Kalana ran towards it, jumping up at it as it seeped through the cracks of the window. She hissed as the shadow retreated into the open air then jumped onto the bed, watching the cloud disappear into the forest. Kalana stared at the window for a few minutes before heading over to the couple, nuzzling them until she heard responses from them to go away. Satisfied that they were all right, Kalana curled up in a ball and went to asleep.

* * *

 **More to come. Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 7

White Blaze perked his ears up, hearing Kalana hissing from upstairs. He walked up the stairs towards Ryo and Tiffany's room, peeking his head in. He scanned the room but didn't see anything.

Kalana raised her head from her spot, staring at him. White Blaze stared back at her and then started communicating with her.

 _Is everything ok?_

 _I saw something over Ryo. I don't know what it was but I chased it away._

White Blaze looked over at Ryo and walked towards him, stopping at the edge of the bed. White Blaze placed his front paws on the bed, lifting himself up so he can stand. He then nudged Ryo's arm and he kept on doing it until he heard Ryo groan. The tiger stopped, waiting to see what Ryo would do, but when Ryo didn't get up, White Blaze continued to nudge Ryo.

Ryo slowly opened his eyes, focusing on the tiger next to his bed. He sat up on the bed and rested his hand on the tiger's head. "What is it?" Ryo groggily asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Tiffany, lifting her head off the pillow.

"I don't know; White Blaze nudged me awake."

White Blaze stared at Ryo, searching for something that would tell him something was wrong, but found nothing wrong. He laid down on the floor, closing his eyes to go to sleep.

Ryo groaned, laying back down on the bed. He placed a hand over his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Tiffany shifted closer to him and rested her head on his chest. Tiffany said, "He probably thought something was wrong."

Ryo draped an arm across Tiffany's shoulder as he closed his eyes. "Why do you think that?"

"Kalana did the same thing just…" Tiffany stopped to release a yawn, "…just a moment ago."

Ryo hummed, falling back to sleep along with Tiffany.

* * *

Sephiran walked through the Dynasty, searching for the right spot. From what he saw in Ryo's memories, the death occurred somewhere in the courtyard. Sephiran stopped in his tracks when he felt the presence coming from the ground beneath his feet. He knelt, placing a hand over the spot. One of the perks of his body being banished in the other world was that he can sense spirits. As his hand was on the ground, he could feel a spirit from the ground and he smiled. _Kai, get over here,_ Sephiran called. Kai appeared next to him, bowing before Sephiran. "You called, my Lord?"

"I need you to bring this soul with us," ordered Sephiran. "This person will be used in my plan to get my daughter and the rest of the armors."

"Of course, my Lord." Kai focused in on the spirit in the ground and his eyes glowed white, bringing the soul out of the ground. A white orb floated around the area until Kai encased it in a bubble. "What's next?"

"We bring her back to life."

* * *

 _Ryo found himself in a dark area, a thick layer of fog covering the ground. He had no idea where he was or how he got there._

 _"Help!" someone screamed. "Please, someone help me!"_

 _Ryo knew that voice and his blood ran cold with terror. "Tiffany!" He ran towards the screaming and found Tiffany on the ground with a group of soldiers torturing her. "Leave her alone!" Ryo screamed but when he tried to run over towards Tiffany to help her, Ryo found that he couldn't move. He was frozen in place as he watched these soldiers beat up on Tiffany._

 _Suddenly, they stopped and parted for a man. The man stared at Ryo, giving him a smirk, before ramming a sword into Tiffany's chest, piercing her heart. Ryo's heart stopped as he stared into Tiffany's eyes, watching them go dull with life. "No," he whispered as the blood run out of her body. "Noooo!"_

Ryo shot up in bed, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath as he placed his hand over his chest. Ryo looked over next to him to see Tiffany sleeping peacefully. He lowered himself back on the bed, placing his head on her chest. Hearing her heart beat made him feel better and he slowly relaxed, closing his eyes. He then felt Tiffany stir and her arms wrap around him. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, go back to sleep."

"Ryo." He looked up at Tiffany's face, seeing a worried look plastered on her face. "Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"

"Just a bad dream."

Tiffany gave him a small smile then placed a kiss on his forehead. "I'm fine; we're fine. Everything's all right." Ryo moved so he was eye level with Tiffany and smiled at her, bushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Thank you, I feel better." He placed a kiss on her lips, his hand cupping her face as his tongue ran across her bottom lip. Tiffany moaned and wrapped her arms around him. They parted for air and smiled at each other before Ryo started placing kisses over Tiffany's face, making her giggle. Ryo moved his hands to his waist, encircling his arms around hers. "I love you."

"I love you too." They shared one more kiss then Tiffany placed her head on Ryo's shoulder, closing her eyes to go back to sleep. Ryo stayed awake, watching as Tiffany slowly fell back asleep. His mind went back to the dream he had and he shuddered at the image of Tiffany on the ground, not moving. He ran a hand through Tiffany's hair, staring down at her sleeping face. _She's fine,_ he told himself. _She was just up; she's alive._ Ryo sighed and then placed a kiss on Tiffany's forehead. He laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, hoping for no more nightmares.

* * *

Sephiran stared at Kai as he chanted a spell over the white soul floating around in the container which laid on top of a pile of clay. The generals and Asami stood off to the side, watching Kai do his work, wondering what they were planning. Kai's eyes glowed white and the soul escaped from the container and floated into the clay. The pile started shaking until a hand pierced out. It grabbed the pile, its fingers digging into the clay as it forced itself out. A young girl with long black hair popped her head out, taking a deep breath of her new life, and then hunched over the pile as she took several deep breaths. The girl looked up at the people staring at her then looked down at herself, widening her eyes when she realized she was naked. She brought her arms to cover her chest and kept her lower half of her body still in the clay. "Who…who are you?" she warily asked.

Sephiran bowed before the girl. "Greetings, I am Sephiran and this is my assistant, Kai. He is the one who brought you back to life." Kai nodded towards her in greeting. "And these are my top generals and my wife, Asami."

The girl scanned each person. "What am I doing here? I thought I died."

"You did. It's been two years since your death and I have brought you back to life to help your friends, the Ronin Warriors."

"Help them? I thought they killed Talpa after I died."

"They did, but a temptress has put them under her spell and is leading them astray. The temptress is trying to bring back Talpa and she's using her powers to distract them into thinking their lives are fine when in reality, she's only trying to destroy the world. The temptress has killed the original Dark Warlords and I equipped four generals to help me in this endeavor. That is why they are wearing the Warlords's armor."

The girl stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "How do I know you're not lying to me? Talpa did the same thing and you look like you can't be trusted."

Kai walked up to the girl, looking into her eyes. "Trust us, my dear," his voice was soothing as his eyes started glowing a soft blue color. "We are only trying to help your friends." The girl's eyes glowed the same color as well until she blinked, the color fading.

"I'm sorry for suspecting you. I've been lied to too many times."

"I understand, my dear." Sephiran gestured to Asami. "My wife will clothe you in proper garments and, when you are clothed, I will give you more information."

Asami walked over to the girl and helped her out of the clay, guiding her out of the throne room. When they were out of ear-shot, Fuzen turned towards Sephiran. "My Lord, why are we getting help from this girl? What can she do that we cannot?"

"This girl has a special connection with one of the warriors and this warrior is the one dating my daughter. If we can separate my daughter from the warriors, it will be easier to capture her and use her powers to unlock the seal to set me free."

"But wouldn't she remember her past?" Malice asked. "She would easily turn on us and tell the warriors of our plans."

"I have taken that into account," inserted Kai. "I have placed an enchantment over her and, if she does try to disobey, I'll increase the enchantment. She won't disobey us as long as that enchantment is over her."

"How do we know that Asami won't cue the girl in on what we are planning?" asked Naga.

"Don't worry; the life of her sister hangs over her head. If she doesn't want anything to happen to her, Asami will do as we say."

* * *

A week had passed and the warriors went back to their daily routine. They started training after classes, spending only an hour to polish their fighting skills. Besides, they also had homework to worry about along with this new enemy. Tiffany had gone back to work and was welcomed back by her employees, happy to have her back. Whenever she got off work, Tiffany would come back to the house and start training by herself. She wanted to improve the control she had over the elements as well as strengthen their attacks so she can do more than this summon an elemental shield or weapon. Of course, she would train with the guys but most of the time, Tiffany spent training by herself.

It was halfway through the day and the guys were halfway finished with their classes. They were in the library doing their homework from their earlier classes. It was around lunchtime and Ryo started to leave to meet with Tiffany for their lunch date. He bid his friends goodbye and left the library. One the way out, he noticed a young woman with long black hair walking around campus. She looked so familiar and she almost looked like… _No,_ he thought. _It can't be._ He hurried over to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. The woman turned around, amber eyes meeting his. "Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew."

The woman smiled at him. "It's all right." _Whatever you do, you must not let them know who you are,_ Sephiran's voice rang through her head. _It will jeopardize the mission._ "I'm actually new here and I'm trying to find my way around the campus. Could you help me?"

"I can't. I'm meeting my girlfriend for lunch." Ryo thought he saw the woman flinch but didn't say anything about it. "In the library, they have a campus map for new students. If you ask the workers, they can give you one."

"Thank you, um…" _Don't let them know you know their names._

"I'm Ryo, and you are."

The woman held out her hand, a kind smile on her face. _And most importantly, do not tell them your real name._ "I'm Mika." _Do not let them know you are their dead friend, Maria._

* * *

 **Please review**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tiffany just finished her workload before she went to go on break. She let her co-workers and boss known she was going on break and went to the backroom to get her purse. She walked out of the store, a smile spreading across her face when she saw Ryo walking towards her. She started to walk over towards him when something grabbed hold of her arm. Turning around, Tiffany saw a man gripping her arm, a cruel smile on his face. "Hello, darling."

"Let me go," Tiffany demanded, tugging her arm from his hold but his grip only tightened.

"Why? I think you and I can have some fun together." He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around Tiffany's waist. "Besides, I think we can-" He didn't finish the sentence for Tiffany elbowed him in the stomach and then punched him in the face. He glared up at her, wiping the blood from his nose. "You're feisty." He smirked. "I like that."

Tiffany shuddered at him, holding the arm he gripped close to her chest. She sensed someone behind her and turned around, but she relaxed when it was only Ryo standing there.

Ryo glared daggers at the man, gently placing a hand on Tiffany's shoulder. "Leave." His voice was low, trying to keep his anger at bay.

"I'm not going anywhere unless that sweet piece of ass comes with me."

Tiffany sucked in a breath, her fists clenched together. If they weren't out in public right now, she so would have struck him down right where he was standing. However, she had to keep herself in check especially since they were already drawing a crowd. She looked up at Ryo to tell him to leave and just ignore him but the look on his face shook her to her core. His face displayed nothing but pure rage and Ryo wanted to kill him. The smile on the man's face made it even worse.

Before anyone could do anything, another man came up and gripped the back of the man's neck, pushing him down so it looked like he was bowing. "I apologize for his behavior," said the newcomer, bowing slightly to the couple. "He has mental issues and today was his first day out in public. He means no harm." He then proceeded to drag the man away from the couple and the crowd parted for the two men.

After they were gone, Ryo turned to Tiffany. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, just a little shaken up." Tiffany gave him a smile. "Let's just get lunch and forget that this happened."

"I don't know. Something just seemed off about him."

"You heard that man, he has mental problems so I'm not going to take it personally."

"Ok." They turned and started walking towards the food court. "What do you have a taste for?"

* * *

Kai punched Karver in the face, making the later fall on the ground. "What were you thinking?! Do you realize what you could have done?!" They were on the roof of the mall for Kai didn't want to go back to the Nether World just yet.

Karver scoffed. "Please, I wasn't going to do anything. I just wanted to put a little fear into her. Besides," Karver stood up to be eye-level with Kai. "This armor feeds off fear. The more I scare her, the stronger I get."

"It's only when you have the armor on." Kai shook his head in disbelief. "But seriously, if they would have figured out you took over the ex-warlord's body, we would have had a bigger problem on our hands."

"I don't understand why we have to wait. We can just attack now and capture the Priestess."

"The Ronins will be on high alert especially since they know we want the Priestess. That's why he brought the girl back to life, to use her to distance the Ronins from the Priestess. With them distracted, we could easily surround her and capture her and the Ronins wouldn't know a thing."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Then we'll ambush them and take her by force." Kai gave Karver a stern look. "But _only_ when Lord Sephiran gives the order, understand?"

"Yes," grumbled Karver, looking at the ground. He glanced up at Kai. "You're not going to tell Lord Sephiran about what happened, are you?"

"No, I'll keep it between us. But if it happens again, don't expect me to be this nice. Now come on, let's go back." Kai teleported both himself and Karver back to the Nether World.

* * *

"A new student?" Tiffany asked, taking a bite of her fried rice.

"Yeah, she just moved here and is trying to find her way around the campus. I told her there was a campus map in the library to help her find her way."

Tiffany nodded. "But other than that, everything was good?"

"Yeah, same old, same old. What about you? How's work so far?"

"It's good. Hasn't been that busy today which has been nice." Tiffany paused and she grew serious. "Have you felt any…disturbances lately?"

"No, and it's making me feel a bit uncomfortable. Someone attacks us, says they want you, and never appears again is strange. They are planning something and I know when they unleash that plan, I'm not going to like it."

"That's why I've been training myself to use my powers more easily. I have gotten a better control over the powers you and the others have given me with the Inferno armor. I could probably use those powers when I'm fighting instead of using them for defense."

"Remember, I want you-"

"To be careful, I know." Tiffany reached over to grabbed Ryo's hand, squeezing it. "And just you remember, I lived on my own for a few years before I met you guys. I can take care of myself."

"I know." Ryo smiled at her then brought her hand up and kissed it. "And that's why I love you."

Tiffany smiled back. "Me too." They continued their lunch date until they had to leave. The two wished each other a good day, shared a parting kiss, and left their separate ways.

* * *

Mika was in the library, looking over the campus map but her attention wasn't on it. Instead, it was on the warriors still in the library. Sage and Kento had already left while Cye and Rowen remained. She was waiting until one of them was alone to talk with them about Ryo and his "girlfriend." The thought of Ryo with another woman made her sick, especially since she was only using him. _He deserves better,_ Mika thought.

Rowen stood up, gathering his things. He said something to Cye, probably a goodbye, then left him alone. Mika watched him go and once he was out of sight, she walked over to the table, putting on a smile. "Excuse me," she started once she was close.

Cye looked up, smiling at her. "Hello."

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me? I'm new here and I don't know my way around here yet."

"Sure, what do you need help with?"

Mika sat down in the chair next to him. "Just about the area in general. I met a guy named Ryo earlier and he just told me to go to the library and look at the campus map. I asked him if he could give me a tour but he said he was meeting his girlfriend for lunch."

"He's one of my friends actually. He and Tiffany meet for lunch whenever she's working."

"Tiffany is his girlfriend's name? Is she…different?"

Cye was silent and he gave Mika a sideways glance. "What do you mean by different?"

"Oh…um…never mind." Mika silently cursed herself. She should have known better than to just outright ask about this girl, Tiffany. Mika dug through her bad and took out a piece of paper. "But here's my class schedule but I don't know where all the buildings are exactly. The map is so small compared to the actual size of the campus."

Cye took it and examined it. "Well, most of your classes are here." He pointed to a building on the east side of campus. "But your next class is in the same building that I have my class. I can walk you over if you want and then show you the direction of the building your next class is in."

"That won't be necessary but thank you for the offer." Mika stood up, taking her class schedule and campus map. "Thanks for helping me."

Cye nodded at her and then Mika left the table. She walked out of the library, taking another look at her map, when she spotted Ryo walking across campus. She smiled and started to hurry over towards him. "Hey, Ryo!" she called out. He turned around and smiled as she came over to him. "Hey. Mika, right?"

"Yeah. How was your lunch with your girlfriend?"

"It was fine. Were you able to find the map?"

Mika held it up. "Yup, but could you give me a little tour of where the buildings are at? This map is so small compared to this big campus."

"Sure. My next class isn't for another hour." Ryo lead Mika around the campus, showing her the different buildings as well as pointing out the ones that her classes were in. During that time, the two got to know one another and Ryo kept on having this feeling of déjà vu. This girl looked so familiar to him but he couldn't place where.

"And that building is the cafeteria and there are some coffee shops as well. That's everything."

"Thank you so much, Ryo." She surprised him with a hug. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll see you around." Mika started to leave and Ryo watched her go. He rubbed a spot on his neck as he turned around, thinking something had pricked him because it itched. Suddenly, he started thinking about Mika and he wanted to see her again. He turned back around. "Mika, wait!" He called, running over towards her.

Mika turned around. "Yes?"

"Do you want to hang out sometime?"

"I'm free after classes. Want to get some coffee?"

"Sure, I'll just tell my friends I'll be coming home late."

"Great. See you then."

They bid farewell and Mika watched him leave. She smirked and looked down at her hand, holding an empty needle. Mika chuckled to herself as she started walking, throwing it in a trash can that she passed.


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Ronin Warriors.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Tiffany walked into the house, leaning against the door. She sighed, kicking off her shoes and wanting nothing more than to lay down. She walked into the lounge and plopped down on the sofa, burying her face in the pillow.

Cye walked into the room, taking in Tiffany's appearance. She was lying on her stomach with one arm laying on the armrest of the couch and her other arm dangled over the side. Her legs were on the couch but she curved them so her feet were a bit over the edge. All in all, Tiffany just seemed done with everything.

"Rough day?"

"Mmm," was Tiffany's muffled reply.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Mmm."

"Is that a yes?"

"Mmhmm."

Cye chuckled. "Ok, it'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Mmm."

Cye walked out of the room to start the tea, leaving Tiffany to lay on the couch. Tiffany felt something brush against her arm and peaked out from the pillow to see White Blaze staring at her with Kalana on his back. Tiffany smiled at them and gave her attention to both animals. The smell of tea coming from the kitchen made Tiffany roll off the couch, and walk into the kitchen to retrieve her cup. Tiffany walked over to the refrigerator and took out some honey, and walked it over to the table where Cye had finished the tea and placed the cup on the table. Tiffany poured some honey into the tea and, as she stirred in the honey, Tiffany noticed it was quiet in the house. "Where is everyone?"

"Sage, Rowen, and Kento are upstairs. I was going to start dinner so they went upstairs to do their homework."

"And Ryo?"

"He's still at college. Apparently, he and the new girl are getting coffee."

Tiffany turned to him in confusion. "They are?"

Cye looked at her. "Ryo didn't tell you during lunch today?"

"No, he said there was a new girl, but nothing about getting coffee with her." Tiffany paused, staring at her cup. "Do you think he lied to me?"

Cye shook his head. "No, but…"

"But what?"

"The new girl did talk to me and she asked about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, she asked if you were weird or if I saw something different in you. And when I asked what she meant, she changed the subject."

Tiffany was quiet, thinking about what Cye had said. "Do you think this girl could be one of those stalker girls?"

"I hope not, but I'll keep a lookout on her."

"Thank you." Tiffany took a sip of her tea when the front door opened. Both of them were still as they heard footsteps approaching them and then Ryo appeared in the kitchen.

"How was coffee with the new girl?" Tiffany asked.

"Her name is Mika," snapped Ryo.

"Don't get snippy with me!" Tiffany placed the cup on the table, making Cye relieved that she didn't slam it on the table. "I was only asking how coffee was, and I didn't know her name. So don't go defending her when I don't know anything about her."

Ryo sighed. "Look, I had a long day and I would rather be by myself than talking about my day." He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge then turned to Cye. "I already had dinner so you don't need to cook as much tonight." He walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving Tiffany and Cye gobsmacked. They couldn't believe the attitude he had nor how he just acted in front of them.

Tiffany ran towards the stairway and, from the bottom, shouted, "If you're going to be like this for the rest of the night, then sleep in the guest bedroom!"

"Fine!" Ryo shouted back and Tiffany screamed in anger, walking back into the kitchen, grabbed her cup, and walked outside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Cye stood where he was, trying to process what had just happened when he heard footsteps coming down the steps. Sage entered the kitchen, concern etched on his face. "What happened?"

"I really have no idea. Ryo came home with an attitude and him and Tiffany got into an argument."

"We heard Tiffany yelling at Ryo, and that's when we became concerned."

"I know that they are sleeping in separate beds tonight." They were both quiet for a moment when Cye asked, "Should we go talk with them?"

Sage shook his head. "I think they need to cool off before we say anything to them. They can both be hot-headed when they're mad."

Cye looked towards the back door. "I really think one of us should at least go talk to Tiffany."

"I'll go." Sage walked outside and over towards the gazebo, where Tiffany was sitting. Kalana was curled up next to her and Tiffany was holding the cup in her hand. Tiffany looked up when she heard the footsteps to see Sage walking towards her. "Is dinner ready?" Tiffany asked him.

"No, I just wanted to talk," Sage sat down across from her. "I heard the argument between you and Ryo and came to see if you were ok."

Tiffany sighed. "I'm fine, only frustrated." She stared down at her now empty cup. "I only wanted to know how coffee was with the new girl and he got snappy with me, telling me what her name was. When he did that, I couldn't believe he got so protective of her. We've been together for two years and he meets a girl today that he's protective over." She looked up at him. "Do you…is Ryo…" Tiffany stopped; she couldn't finish the sentence. Was Ryo cheating on her? Does he not want her anymore?"

"Don't," Sage stated, reaching over and placing a hand on her knee. "Ryo would never do that to you and, even if he did, all of us would be beating the shit out of him for doing that to you."

A small smile spread across her face. "I know you would, but…I just don't know why Ryo is acting this way."

"We can find out for you if you want about the new girl. See the reason why Ryo is acting this way."

"No, but thanks for the offer," Tiffany smiled at him and Sage smiled back. He patted her knee then stood up. "Want me to take the cup in for you?"

"Yes."

"Do you want more tea?"

"No, I'll be ok. I think I'll stay out here until dinner is ready."

"Ok. We'll be inside if you need anything."

Tiffany nodded and Sage walked away. She turned her attention towards Kalana, stroking her companion's back. She didn't know why, but something was telling her that something happened to Ryo back at college.

* * *

"You did well, Maria," praised Sephiran then smirked. "Or should I say Mika?"

"Thank you, Sephiran." Mika bowed before him. "I was able to get him away from the temptress's spell."

"Don't push your luck," Karver stated, smirking at her. "He may turn on you tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"Karver is right," intercepted Kai. "The potion I gave you will wear off after some time. You will need to keep giving him the potion in discreet ways until the spell has completely worn off." Kai walked up to Mika and handed her a tiny bottle filled with a light blue liquid. "Use this to put in his food or drink to keep the spell off him."

Mika nodded. "I understand."

"My dear, why don't you go rest," input Asami. "You've had a long day and you will need your energy for tomorrow."

"Yes, Asami." Mika bowed before Sephiran and then took her leave. Once the doors to the throne room close, Sephiran turned to his generals. "It's time to start luring my daughter to us."

"Shall I go to her, my Lord?" Karver asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"I don't think that's wise, Karver," stated Kai, giving him a pointed look. "You might get too…excited around her."

"She's already seen me so it's best if I don't go," Malice said. "Fuzen or Naga would have to go."

"Why don't we both go?" suggested Naga. "She might like the attention of two men talking with her, especially since Ryo is under a spell."

"Actually, I have an idea," Fuzen said.

* * *

At the mall, Tiffany was distant most of the time, not really focusing on her job. Her mind kept on going back to the fight her and Ryo had last night, and this morning they didn't acknowledge each other nor did Ryo say if he was going to meet her for lunch. She didn't know if she should make herself lunch or not and decided to see what happens.

"Tiffany!"

Tiffany jumped at the shout, dropping the pile of clothes she was holding. She looked up to see Iris standing in front of her, one eyebrow raised at her. "I'm sorry, Iris." Tiffany knelt to pick up the clothes. "I-"

"It's all right, my dear." Iris knelt to help pick up the clothes and the two started folding them. "Is everything all right? I called you many times but you didn't answer."

"It's just…Ryo and I had a fight last night."

Iris gave her a sideways glance. "About?"

Tiffany shook her head. "It's stupid."

"Tiffany, if something is bothering you, you can tell me."

"I thought I should leave all my personal problems at home."

Iris gently laid a hand on Tiffany's shoulder, and then gave her a small smile. She looked at the store, staring at her employees working. "I don't consider these young women my employees. I consider them my children, and I want my children to be happy." Iris placed a hand on her stomach. "I never had children of my own, that's why I became a nanny. But then, when I became manager of this store, I decided to treat everyone as my children. Like I am a foster mother and all of you are my adopted children." She turned back to Tiffany. "I do want my children to be happy so tell me, my child, what is wrong?"

Tiffany stared at her and then sighed. "Ryo went out to get coffee with a new girl at college and, when I asked him about it, he got defensive over her. I just…I didn't know how to take it, and we couldn't stand to be in the same room that night. We didn't say anything to each other this morning and it was terrible." Tiffany looked down at the neatly folded clothes and shut her eyes tight. She opened them and looked over at Iris. "What should I do?"

Iris stared back at her, noticing the tears swimming in Tiffany's eyes. She gave Tiffany a soft smile and then brought her into a hug. She rubbed her hand up and down Tiffany's back to calm her down. "Talk to him. I know it seems redundant, but if you two don't communicate with each other, it's only going to get worse from here." Iris pulled away, laying her hands on Tiffany's shoulders. "Now, wipe away those tears, and let's see that pretty smile."

Tiffany chuckled, a small smile spreading across her face.

"Excuse me."

The two looked up to see a man standing in front of them, a smile across his face.

"Yes, can I help you?" Tiffany asked.

"I'm just looking for someone to give this beautiful necklace to." The man held up a V-shaped, diamond necklace, all the diamonds having different shades of pink. The diamonds were of different sizes as well, making the necklace look bulky but also elegant at the same time.

"That's not my necklace," Tiffany said, even though she couldn't help but admire the beautiful jewelry in this stranger's hands.

"Well, a man told me to give this necklace to the beautiful blonde with sapphire eyes. He also said to meet you in the food court for a special surprise."

 _Ryo did this?_ Tiffany thought to herself and then a wide smile spread across her face.

"May I see this necklace?" questioned Iris, extending a hand out to the man.

The man glanced at her. "This is for her, not you." Without warning, Iris snatched the necklace away from the man's hands, and held it close to her face, expecting the jewelry. Iris narrowed her eyes and settled her gaze back on the man. "Whatever prank you're trying to pull, stop it."

"Iris, what-" Tiffany started but stopped at Iris's raised hand. "This isn't what you think it is." Her expression got darker and, in a low voice, said, "leave my store. Now."

The man glared at Iris, but complied, walking, or more like stomping, out of the store. Iris watched him go then turned back to Tiffany, her kind smile appearing back on her face. "It's all right now. Go back to work and I'll dispose of this." Iris walked away from Tiffany, leaving her stunned. She walked into the backroom, and out the back door, closing it behind her. Iris checked to make sure no one was around and then took out the necklace. The diamonds had disappeared, showing its original design: a twisted piece of twin with a black pendant attached in the middle. Iris threw it on the ground, crushing it with her foot, and watched as black smoke fizzled around the broken necklace before evaporating in the wind. Iris glanced up at the sky, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she stared at the clouds rolling overhead. _Kaos, if you can hear me, we're going to need help._

* * *

Naga marched into the food court, an irritated expression on his face. Their plan had stumbled into a roadblock, and he didn't know what they were going to do.

"What's wrong with you?"

Naga looked up at Fuzen's puzzled expression. "We might have an issue."

"What do you mean? Isn't the girl wearing the necklace?"

Naga shook his head. "Another lady took the necklace away. It's almost as if she knew what it was."

"Damn," muttered Fuzen.

"What are we going to do now?"

Fuzen was silent, but an idea popped into his head. "If we can't get the girl away from the warriors, then we'll get the warriors away from the girl."

"What?" Fuzen pulled Naga closer to him, filling him in on his new plan.


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 10

Ryo sat at the library, massaging his temple with his fingertips. His head was throbbing like someone was pounding a jackhammer inside his head. He didn't know why he was feeling this way nor did he know how to get rid of it.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and, when he looked up, saw Mika standing next to him. She smiled and then sat down. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok," Ryo answered her.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good."

"My head is killing me." Ryo winced as the pounding got worse in his head. "I really have no idea why it hurts so much."

"Here." Mika reached into her bag, taking out two water bottles. "Have some water." She gave him one of them and Ryo opened it, taking a sip. His headache instantly went away, feeling relieved from it. "This really helped me, thank you."

Mika smiled at him. "You're welcome." She scooched herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his. "What are you working on?"

"Just some homework. I would like to finish it before I go home, but someone," Ryo gave Mika a pointed look. "won't let me work on it."

"Ok, I get it." Mika stood up, smiling down at Ryo. "I'll leave you to do your homework. See you later." She gave him a hug and then left the library. As Mika walked around campus, she saw Naga and Fuzen walking towards her. She hurried over to them, checking to make sure the Ronins weren't around. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to trick the temptress."

"That was the plan," started Fuzen. "But something happened. We're going to try something else, and we need your help."

"With what?" Mika asked.

"We're going to play a little trick on the Ronins, to get them against one another," answered Naga.

"What?!" Mika shook her head. "No, I won't be part of this plan."

"We don't want to do this either, but it's the only way to get the Ronins off the temptress's spell," reasoned Fuzen.

Mika stared at him before slowly nodding her head. "Ok, what do you have in mind?"

* * *

Kento was walking to the cafeteria to get lunch when he spotted Sage and Rowen talking amongst themselves. He jogged over to them, opening his mouth to call out their names. "I can't believe Tiffany is overdramatic about this." Kento stopped and then moved behind a pillar to listen in on their conversation.

"I agree. So what if Ryo is hanging out with another woman? It's not like he's cheating on her or anything."

Kento shook his head in disbelief; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Were his friends defending Ryo instead of Tiffany? Did they not remember how Ryo treated them? How Ryo treated Tiffany? Kento scoffed at them and walked away from his hiding spot.

Fuzen and Naga watched him go and then smiled at each other.

* * *

Kento sat in the cafeteria, staring at his food. He kept pushing the food around with his fork as he thought over what Sage and Rowen had said.

"No appetite, Kento?" He looked up and saw Cye standing there, with Sage and Rowen close behind. The three sat down at the table. "Everything ok?"

"No, it's not ok," grumbled Kento, glaring at Sage and Rowen.

"What's wrong?" Rowen asked.

"Are you seriously asking me that question?" Kento stood up, grabbing his plate. "Some friends you are." He then walked away, leaving Sage, Rowen, and Cye confused.

* * *

Tiffany walked into the house but stopped when she heard yelling coming from the kitchen. She hurried over to see the guys arguing with one another. "Hey, hey, what's going on?" demanded Tiffany, staring at everyone.

"Why don't you tell her, traitors?" said Kento.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Rowen yelled.

"Wait, why are they traitors?" Tiffany asked Kento.

Sage turned to Tiffany. "He accused Rowen and me on siding with Ryo and not with you."

"Sides? There's no-"

"I heard you!" exclaimed Kento. "I heard what you two said! You claimed Tiffany was being overdramatic and that Ryo was fine where he was!"

"We never said that!" Sage yelled.

The trio started arguing again.

"Guys, please stop arguing," pleaded Cye.

"Cye, how can you be siding with them?" asked Kento.

"I'm not claiming sides. I'm only trying to get you three to stop fighting."

"Well, I'm not going to stay here and listen to him calling us traitors," said Sage. "I'm going to spend the night at my parents' house." He walked over to the stairs to go up and pack his stuff.

"Can you give me a lift to my parents' place, too?" Rowen asked him. "I don't want to be here either." Rowen followed him up to pack his stuff as well.

"Fine, leave. It just proves you're guilty," said Kento.

"Kento!" scolded Tiffany, glaring at him. She ran up the stairs to Sage and Rowen's room to try and reason with them.

The door opened then and Ryo walked in. "Well look who it is," exclaimed Kento. "The man that started it all."

"Shut up, Kento," ordered Ryo.

Kento ran up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and threw him against the wall, holding him there. "I'm not the one screwing with some girl behind Tiffany's back."

"I said shut up!" Ryo threw a punch at Kento, hitting the other man's cheek and throwing Kento off him. Kento held his cheek and glared at Ryo. He got ready to throw his own punch when Cye stood in between them, his hands on each of his friends' chests to keep them separated.

"Stop it!" he yelled at them. "This isn't right!"

"No, it's not," agreed Kento. "I'm not staying in the same house with a man that doesn't respect his woman." Kento walked away to go upstairs and pack his stuff.

Ryo left the kitchen to go upstairs as well, leaving Cye alone in the kitchen.

Tiffany left Sage and Rowen's room, unsuccessful in changing their minds. She saw Kento coming up the stairs, a bruise forming on his face. "Kento, what-"

"I'm going to my parents' for the night," is all he said, walking into the room.

Tiffany stared at him in disbelief then saw Ryo walking upstairs and into the guest room, slamming the door shut. Tiffany stood in the hallway for a moment then walked over to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door, staring at the floor as tears welled in her eyes. She shut them tight but couldn't prevent them from escaping. Tiffany slid down to the floor, bringing her legs to her chest and laying her head on her knees. She wrapped her arms around her legs as her body wracked with sobs. A few days ago, everything was fine but now, everything was falling apart.

* * *

Sephiran watched the event with Tiffany and the Ronins, happy with how everything turned out.

"Very good, my generals," praised Sephiran. "It won't be long now."

"I hate this," declared Mika. "I don't like the guys fighting amongst themselves."

"It is hard, my dear," agreed Kai. "But in order to help them, we must get their attention off the temptress. Them fighting with each other diverts their attention on each other instead of the temptress, making it easy for us to stop her without the Ronins helping her."

Mika nodded, bringing her arms up to hug herself. Even after Kai's explanation, she thought something felt off like something wasn't off.

* * *

Days passed and life got darker for Tiffany. Kento, Sage, and Rowen haven't come back after their fight leaving only her and Cye. Ryo spent most of his time with Mika, coming back only late at night and straight to his room. It's like he wasn't there anymore. She missed everyone and it was too quiet in the house. The gazebo wasn't helping her anymore and going to bed was lonely without Ryo's arms around her. Tiffany kept on going through the day like it wasn't bothering her, but she would break down at night in the darkness of her bedroom.

Cye wasn't doing so well either. Three of his friends wouldn't acknowledge each other at college. He would watch as they would walk right past each other without looking at the other. Ryo was pretty much non-existent and he could see how it was affecting Tiffany. She was becoming distant, only offering Cye small talk and nothing else. He could tell she was breaking but Tiffany had put up a good act, making it look like it wasn't bothering her. Cye could tell, though; and it hurt him that he couldn't do anything to help. He hated that his friends were fighting with each other and that they were too stubborn to talk about it.

Mika kept Ryo around her little finger, making sure he kept on drinking the water to keep him enchanted with her. She loved that Ryo never brings up Tiffany during their conversations, but Mika decided to put him to the test; to make sure he was done with Tiffany for good.

One day, before their lunch break, Mika turned to Ryo and said, "Let's go somewhere else for lunch."

Ryo smiled at her. "Sure, anything you want."

* * *

At the mall, Tiffany was walking over to the food court to get lunch when she saw Mika and Ryo there. They were smiling at each other with Mika wrapping her arms around Ryo's. Tiffany was stunned when Mika kissed Ryo's cheek and Ryo just smiled down at her. Tiffany remained where she was, shocked that Ryo would let that woman kiss his cheek without pushing her away. She chuckled to herself, the tears forming in her eyes. _Maybe I should have left with Asami, that way I wouldn't see this,_ Tiffany thought to herself. She turned around and started walking back to the store, wiping her eyes to keep herself from crying. _No, I'm not crying over him anymore. I'm done._ She walked into the store and Iris was walking around. Iris looked up and smiled at Tiffany, but the smile instantly went away when she Tiffany's tear brimmed eyes. "What's wrong, my child?" Iris asked, stopping Tiffany in her tracks.

"We're through," answered Tiffany. "Ryo and I are done."

"What? Why?"

Before Tiffany could respond, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She turned around, frozen in place when she saw Mika and Ryo walking towards them. Mika was smirking while her arms were snaked around Ryo's arm. "Hello," Mika greeted when they were closer to her. "I'm looking for a dress to wear tonight for our dinner date." Mika gestured to herself and Ryo. "Ryo is taking me out to a fancy restaurant." Mika looked up at Ryo and said, "Right, Ryo?"

Ryo smiled down at her. "Yes."

Tiffany put on a smile even though she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. "We have many different styles of dresses, miss. Are you looking for an evening dress?"

"Yes, and something that's…eye-catching."

Tiffany raised a hand over to a rack of dresses against the wall. "We have evening cocktail dresses on the side here, in a variety of styles and colors."

"Could you help me pick out one? You are probably the expert in this field, and Ryo says I look great in anything. Isn't that right, Ryo?"

"Yeah, it is."

Iris observed this exchange and she hated what she was seeing right now. She could tell Tiffany was trying to keep it together but was pissed at Ryo for doing this in front of Tiffany.

Before Tiffany could walk over to the dresses, Iris grabbed hold of her, pushing her back. "Tiffany, I don't think you got lunch. Why don't you go out and grab something to eat and I'll deal with these two?"

"But-" Tiffany stopped when she saw Iris's stern look gazed toward her. "Ok." She walked out of the store and, once she was gone, Iris turned back to the two.

"Now, you said you were looking for an evening dress to go out with Ryo, right?" Iris confirmed, smiling at Mika nodding her head. "Ok, good, good." Iris suddenly slapped Ryo across the face, earning shocked gasps from the people in the store. "What is wrong with you?!"

Ryo stared at her, a hand on his cheek. "What-"

"Don't even try to defend yourself! You are with Tiffany and now you're with this…woman!"

"Excuse me, but-"

Iris turned to Mika. "Shut up! How could you do this to someone?! Taking a man away from his loved one!"

"I was only trying to help him!" defended Mika. "He was in an unhealthy relationship. You didn't know what this woman was doing to him!"

Iris walked up to her, looking her dead in the eye. "I've known Tiffany for two years now, and I know what she is like. I don't know what you're trying to do, but you need to stop." She shook her head at Mika. "You should be ashamed of yourself and so should your parents."

Mika flinched, casting her eyes downward. She swallowed a lump in her throat and then looked back up, giving Iris a hard stare. "Tiffany is not who she says she is. She is only using Ryo and the others for her own desires. I'm only helping them see it." She glanced up at Ryo. "Aren't you happier with me than that witch?"

 _Smack_. Mika raised a hand to her cheek, staring at Iris in disbelief. Before she could say anything, Iris leaned closer to her and whispered, "Don't try and play this game, _Maria_." Mika widened her eyes. "I don't think you want Ryo to know who you really are, right?"

"No," Mika squeaked out.

"Good." Iris straightened up, keeping the death glare on her. "Get out of my store before I call security, and never show your face here again."

Mika nodded, pulling Ryo along with her.

"No, he's staying." Iris placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder. "We need to have a little talk."

Mika glanced back and forth between Iris and Ryo before setting her eyes on Ryo. "I'll be waiting at the food court, ok?"

"Yeah, sure," Ryo answered, giving her a smile. Mika smiled back and then walked out of the store. Once she was gone, Iris released a breath and then gripped Ryo's arm. "You, mister, are in deep trouble." She turned and dragged Ryo behind her, making Ryo stumble on his feet to keep up with Iris. As they went to the backroom, Iris pulled a girl aside, "I need to have a talk with this boy. No one comes into the backroom. Take over as assistant manager until I get back."

"Yes, Iris."

Iris walked into the backroom, and into an office area. After pulling Ryo in, she closed the door and locked it behind her. Iris turned towards her desk, rummaging around. "Sit down, Ryo."

"I'm fine standing."

Iris turned to glare at Ryo. "I said _sit_." Ryo sat down on the chair across from her. Iris turned back to what she was doing, taking out some candles. "I'm very disappointed in you, Ryo." She placed the candles on her desk, using a match to light them. "Being with another woman while you're with Tiffany. I can't believe you would do that."

"I didn't-"

"Quiet!" Iris blew out the match, the smell of jasmine filling the room. She stood behind her desk, staring at Ryo as the scent got stronger. She noticed Ryo fidgeting in his seat and his hands were gripping the seat of his chair, his knuckles turning white. Iris hummed at this then turned to the cabinet against the wall, opening it. She took out a teapot and placed it on the counter next to the cabinet. She walked towards the back of the room where a small kettle was there with a sink right next to it. She filled the pot with water and then placed it on the kettle, turning it on.

"What are you doing?" Ryo asked, releasing a cough he'd been trying to hold in.

"Don't talk," Iris ordered, taking out two small jars. "Just breathe."

"At least burn out the candles." Ryo coughed more. "The smell is overwhelming."

Iris turned back to him. "Good, that means it's working." She walked towards the back, placing the two jars on the counter. She reached towards the cupboards over the sink and opened them, taking out two teacups and a spoon. Iris opened the jars, taking out a stem of rosemary from one of them. Starting at the end, Iris ran her fingers down the stem, pushing the seeds out to land in the teacup. She poured the hot water into the teacup and, from the other jar, put in a spoonful of clary sage. Iris mixed the herbs together and then poured the water into another cup but added mint to this one. Placing both cups on a tray, she walked over to Ryo, giving him the cup with the herbs while keeping the mint one for herself. "Drink." Iris sat down in her chair, holding the cup in her hands. "It will make you feel better." She took a sip, sighing as the minty liquid ran down her throat.

Ryo stared at Iris then down at the bright green liquid, a powerful smile coming from it. He didn't want to drink it, but Iris said it would help him. Deciding it was better to do this than upset her again, Ryo took a sip of the liquid. Ryo violently coughed, almost dropping the cup in his hands. The smell of jasmine and the taste of rosemary and clary sage were too overwhelming for him. His eyes watered as he continued to cough, his chest tightening and his head spinning and pounding. "Drink all of it," came Iris's voice, it sounded closer, like she was right next to him. "I promise, the pain will go away."

Ryo shakily brought the cup to his lips, drinking the rest of the liquid. Swallowing the last bit, Ryo released a shaky breath and noticed the pain was gone and the smell wasn't as bad. Ryo looked up to see the candles were still lit but Iris wasn't there. A hand on his shoulder made him turn to his left. Iris stood there, a blank look on her face. She knelt beside him to look him in the eye. "How do you feel?"

"I…I feel…" Ryo trailed off, trying to think of the right word.

"Clean?" Iris offered.

"Yeah."

"Good." She patted Ryo's knee, taking the cup out of his hand and walking it over to the back. Iris walked back over to her desk, slapping Ryo upside the head when she passed him.

"Ow!" Ryo rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?!"

"That was for what you put Tiffany through!"

Ryo froze, staring at Iris with wide eyes. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

Iris stared back at him. "Before I answer that, I want you to answer something for me." At Ryo's nod, Iris continued, "What was the last thing you remember?"

Ryo looked down at the floor, racking his brain for the answer. His eyes narrowed as he tried to remember everything that had happened, but his brain was fuzzy. "The only thing I remember is meeting Mika. After that, everything got foggy, and when it started to clear, my head would start pounding. It was only after I drank what Mika had offered me that the fog appeared again."

"I see. That's what I thought." Iris sat down, grabbing hold of her chin as she sat in silence. "But how did she got hold of something like that?"

"What do you mean? What happened."

Iris glanced back up at him. "You were under a spell, a trance that made you focus on Mika and Mika alone. Because of that, you…" Iris hesitated to tell Ryo what he did to Tiffany.

"What did I do?" Ryo thought back to what Iris told him earlier, and his eyes widen. "No…please don't tell I hurt Tiffany."

"I wish that weren't the case, but you did. From what Tiffany had told me, you ignored her, spending all of your time with Mika. You gave all your attention to her, setting your sights on her. And today, you were flirting with Mika right in front of Tiffany!"

"What?!" Ryo shook his head. "No, I would never hurt her. I…I didn't…" Ryo put his head in his hands, not believing what he had heard. "She probably hates me and never wants to see me again."

"Yes, but I can help you." Ryo looked up and watched as Iris stood back up and walked over to him. "However, there is something else we've got to do first."

"What's that?"

"We need to help your friends for they are victims of a spell as well."


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Tiffany sat in the food court, moving her food around with a fork. She ate some but she wasn't really hungry. She kept on thinking about what happened between her, Ryo, and the woman. Tiffany was also thinking about what Iris was doing to them right now. Was Iris helping the woman find a dress for her date? Did Iris yell at Ryo for the way he treated her?

Tiffany glanced around the food court as she absentmindedly moved her food around her plate, stopping her actions when she saw Mika walking into the food court. Mika looked upset, keeping her gaze downwards. She then looked up, meeting Tiffany's eyes. The two stared at each other and it was all the two could focus on. Mika diverted her attention away from Tiffany and walked over to a table and sat down. Tiffany kept her eyes on Mika, looking away when she looked back at her. Part of Tiffany really wanted to go over to Mika and start a fight with her but decided it wasn't really worth it.

Tiffany went back to her food, picking at her food again and only taking small bites. She didn't dare glance back up again, not wanting to meet Mika's eyes. Thinking about Mika and Ryo made Tiffany lose her appetite, and she didn't want to finish eating what was on her plate. Tiffany got up, threw away her food, and then started to walk back to the store, not looking at Mika as she walked past her.

Before Tiffany could leave the food court, Ryo walked in, stopping to stare at her. Tiffany only stared at him for a minute then she walked past him, stopping when Ryo grabbed her arm. "Tiffany-"

"Let me go," she said, her voice deathly low. Ryo released her arm and Tiffany continued on her way. Ryo watched her go and then turned around, noticing Mika sitting in the food court.

Mika stood up and smiled at him, but Ryo turned away from her and walked out of the food court. Mika watched him go, puzzled as to why he ignored her.

* * *

Cye sat in the library, quietly working on his homework. He glanced up from it, seeing Kento sitting at a table with Sage and Rowen at another table, far away from Kento. Cye released a sigh and went back to working on his homework.

"Cye." He looked up, startled to see Ryo standing next to him. "Ryo? I thought-"

"I need you and the others to be home tonight," Ryo interrupted.

"Why?" Cye turned away from him to go back to his homework. "Aren't you going to be with Mika?"

"No, I need you guys to stop fighting."

Cye quickly turned back to him. "How did you know we were fighting?"

"I was told, and it needs to stop."

"Ok, but good luck getting those three to come back." Cye gestured to Kento, Sage, and Rowen. "They haven't been back at the house in days."

Ryo nodded, walking over to Sage and Rowen's table, telling them what he told Cye. They were skeptical but agreed to come home. Kento was harder to convince but eventually agreed.

* * *

After classes, they all back to the house. They were currently sitting in the lounge. Sage, Rowen, and Cye sat on the couch, Kento sat in the recliner facing them, and Ryo sat in the other recliner. It was quiet in the room, no one spoke.

Kento decided to break the silence. "Isn't Mika waiting for you? Get on with it."

Ryo turned to glare at him before addressing everyone else. "I want to apologize for what I did, especially with how I acted."

"You shouldn't be telling us that," said Sage. "Tiffany is the one who deserves your apology."

"I know, but I need your guys' help."

"Why?" Cye asked.

"Yeah, you can apologize to her yourself," agreed Rowen.

"I want to make her happy again, and I would rather have this stupid fight over and done with before I can do that."

"You are going to have to talk with these two then." Kento gestured to Sage and Rowen. "They were siding with you and not Tiffany."

"You should actually check if someone said it or not before you go pointing fingers," stated Sage.

"I saw you two! Don't deny it!"

"Don't start," pleaded Cye.

A knock sounded at the door and Ryo went to get it, happy to see Iris on the other side. "You're just in time. There was going to be another argument again."

"You're a leader, you should be able to control them," Iris scolded, walking into the house. She walked into the lounge, smiling at everyone. "Hello. I'm Iris."

"Weren't you…" Sage started but Iris finished for him. "Yes, I used to be Ryo's nanny as well as yours." Iris placed a bag she brought with her on a table. "And I know you're the Ronin Warriors."

"How did you know?" Rowen asked.

"You think all of you becoming friends was a coincidence? I know all of you were going to become the Ronin Warriors, protectors of this earth. I had to get you all to meet so you would become comfortable with each other." Iris took out candles from the bag, lighting them and jasmine quickly filled the room. "Now." She turned to them, staring them down. "All of you do need to get over this stupid fight, especially how you're fighting over nothing."

"We were not-"

"Quiet, Hardrock!" Iris glared at him, earning silence from him. "Kaos picked you five for a reason and I don't intend to see you five falling apart over nothing." She gestured to Ryo. "What Ryo did over the past few days wasn't technically his fault, and before you argue, let me explain. Ryo had a spell on him, making him focus his attention on a woman and only on her. I don't know how or what had happened, but I was able to get him out of it. And this fight you're arguing about, it's not even worth it." Iris glanced at Kento. "You were tricked into believing your two friends were talking about Tiffany."

"But I saw them!"

"What you saw was only an illusion, and nothing more."

"And how would you know? You weren't there."

"It's true, but Kaos told me."

Silence filled the room, the guys shocked by Iris's statement. "How did you know the Ancient One?" Cye asked, breaking it.

A small smile spread across Iris's face. "He was my husband. We were together for many years. I lead Kaos's clan for a long time until he felt Talpa's presence in the world. He knew who the five Ronin Warriors would be, but asked me to get you five together so you would be familiar with each other. That's when I started working as a nanny and was able to get all of you together before Kaos started training you." Iris looked down at her lap, releasing a sigh. "I just wished I got to see him before he died."

"I'm sorry," Ryo said.

"It's all right." Iris patted his knee. "That's when I discovered I could communicate with him through meditation. When I noticed Tiffany wasn't her cheerful self and that Ryo wasn't coming by as often, I knew something was wrong. Through meditation, Kaos told me what was going on and what was causing all of this. That was when I took Ryo out of his spell, and to get you to stop fighting with one another."

Kento stared at Sage and Rowen and then let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I accused you of siding with Ryo. I should have known you two wouldn't do anything like that."

"It's fine," said Sage.

"Yeah, you're prone to act first, ask questions later," input Rowen.

"I understand that enemies want us to fight with one another, but why?" wondered Cye.

"Think about it," said Iris. "Why would an enemy want Ryo to be focused on someone else and the rest of you fighting with one another?"

Ryo froze, knowing exactly what this enemy wanted. "No," he whispered.

* * *

Tiffany got off the bus at her stop, wanting nothing more than to just go to her room and sit in the darkness when she saw Asami sitting at the bus stop. Asami smiled when she saw Tiffany and got up from her seat. Tiffany narrowed her eyes at her. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk," Asami answered, watching the bus drive away. "Where were you coming from?"

"Work."

"How was work?"

Tiffany was silent before answering, "It was fine."

Asami nodded. "How have you been?"

"What do you want, mother?"

"I…I just wanted to know if you changed your mind. If you wanted to come back to the village with me."

"I'm fine where I am." Tiffany forced a smile. "Perfectly happy." She whistled for Kalana to come to her.

"Are you sure? You look tired and your smile doesn't reach your eyes." Tiffany stared at her, trying to think of an excuse to tell Asami. "Tiffany, I'm your mother. You can tell me anything."

Tiffany sighed. "I've been having…issues back at home and it doesn't look like it's going to be fixed."

"Are you trying to get it fixed?"

"Don't you think I've tried!" Tiffany stared at Asami, her eyes burning with anger. "I have tried to get everything right, trying to get them to talk with one another or to get them to stay. Everything is falling apart and…and…" Tiffany stopped to cover her eyes with her hand. "I don't know what to do anymore." Her voice cracked at the end and she bit her lip to keep herself from crying. A soft nudge and a whine made Tiffany uncover her eyes, looking down to meet Kalana's golden eyes. Tiffany smiled at her friend and gently rubbed the wolf's head.

"Tiffany," Asami started, taking a step closer to her daughter. "I'm here for you. I want to be part of your life and to make your worries and stresses disappear." Tiffany glanced over at Asami, making the older woman smile at her. "Let me take you home. It won't be forever, only a few days. Let's spend some time together and get to know each other better."

Tiffany stared at Asami, wondering if she wanted to take her offer and to go to her home. It would be nice to get to know her true home and to know about where she came from. Tiffany looked back at Kalana, almost like wanting an answer from her. Kalana only stared back then closed her eyes and leaned her head on Tiffany's side. "Would it only be a few days?"

Asami kept her smile as she answered, "Of course. You can come back whenever you want." The lie came out smooth and she hoped Tiffany didn't detect anything.

"I-"

"Tiffany!"

Both women turned their attention to the Ronins running towards them. They stopped, staring at the two women. Tiffany was shocked to see the guys together and even more shocked that Iris was with them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to make sure you were ok," answered Ryo.

"What are you talking about? Why are you worried-" Tiffany gasped, frozen in place at the feel of a sword pressed against her throat. Kalana growled at the intruder and went to attack but was kicked away from them. "Kalana!"

"It's very good to see you again," Karver said, pressing himself close to her. "I've missed you since our last time we were together."

The guys put on their sub-armors, getting into a fighting stance.

"Uh uh uh. I wouldn't do anything if I were you." Karver smiled at them. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to her right?"

"No, I don't," said Ryo. "But you don't want anything to happen to her either, especially if your master wants her alive."

Karver glared at Ryo. "I'm willing to take that chance."

"What?!" Asami screeched. "Karver, you know what Sephiran said!"

"Mom?" Tiffany slowly asked. "You're…you're with them?"

"I'm sorry, Tiffany; I had no choice. They threatened Mizuki."

Tiffany's anger rose. "How dare you." She winced at Karver tightening his grip on her.

"It's the cost of war, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

"I'll call you whatever I want." Karver leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear, "Sweetheart."

Iris stepped forward. "Let her go."

Karver laughed at her. "What are you going to do, old lady?"

Iris chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "Let me give you a piece of advice." Her eyes glowed white. "Don't call me old." A bright flash of light shot out, going through Tiffany and hitting Karver, sending him flying back a few feet. The light circled around Tiffany and pulled her closer to the guys. The light danced around Iris, tempting Karver to try and attack. Karver snarled at them, raising his nodaci but stopped when Asami stood in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"You can't fit her. It's designed to only hurt people with evil in their hearts." Asami turned to the group. "We'll be back." The two disappeared.

Iris's eyes turned back to its brown color and the light dispersed. She turned to Tiffany who was rubbing her neck. "Are you alright?"'

Tiffany nodded her head.

Ryo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Tiffany glared at him then turned her glare to everyone else. "All of you, especially you Ryo, have some explaining to do."


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Tiffany sat outside with Iris, listening to her explanation about what was happening with the guys. Both of them had cups of tea in their hands and were sitting on the porch. Tiffany was staring at the cup in her hands as she listened to Iris, nodding along so Iris would know she was listening.

"Tiffany, I know Ryo was pushing you out of his life and you felt betrayed, but you must know that he wasn't doing this on purpose." Iris reached over and placed a hand on Tiffany's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "He loves you and he hates himself for what he put you through."

"I want to believe you, but there is a small part of me that thinks once I forgive Ryo, he's going back to the way he was."

"I know it's hard." Iris released Tiffany's hand and wrapped it around her cup. She raised it to her lips and took a sip of her warm tea. "It's hard to forgive someone who has hurt and betrayed you. But you must forgive in order to move on. You probably won't forget what Ryo has done and it may take time for you two to get over what happened, but the first step for that to happen is to forgive."

Tiffany mulled over Iris's words, bringing her own cup to her lips to take a sip. She remembered her time with Kaos, and the teachings he gave her and the most important one being the step to forgiving and moving on. She even told the Ronins that message when their friend died during the war with Talpa. Tiffany chuckled to herself.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just ironic that I gave the Ronins the same speech when their friend died and now, you're giving the same speech to me." Tiffany looked up from her cup to look at Iris. "So…you lead my village or my aunt and uncle's village. I never saw you growing up there. Did you leave?"

"Kaos wanted me to get the Ronins together before he started training them. I had left many years before you were born to get myself prepared to live in a city, and to get myself familiar with that kind of life before I could find the Ronins. I decided to be a nanny for it would be easier to find them and care for them. During my nanny position, I would sometimes bring children from other families to play together, it was my way of getting kids to better behave around others. With the powers I had, I could feel who would have the armors so it was easy to identify who was who. So when I recognized the boys as the Ronin Warriors, I mainly started nannying them and then brought them together, slowly but surely. But I was happy to have met Ryo. I don't know what would have happened to him if I didn't bring him with his friends." Iris laughed and then shook her head. "I have so many stories about all of them…" Iris laughed again, reminiscing about her life as a nanny.

Tiffany smiled at Iris. "Why didn't you go back home? Why did you stay and work at the mall?"

"By the time I had gotten the Ronins together, a new leader of the clan was declared. Plus, I was happy where I was, and Kaos respected my decision. We would visit each other every now and again." Iris glanced down at her cup. "The last time we saw each other was before Talpa took over the city. I felt his presence leave this world when he passed." She stared at her cup for a moment and then snapped her gaze back up, shaking her head to get rid of the depressing thoughts. "It is important to forgive now before something happens."

Tiffany nodded her head, drinking more of her tea. Setting the teacup down, Tiffany set her gaze on Iris. "Could you send the guys out?"

"Wouldn't you rather go inside and talk with them?"

"There not many things to throw out here than in there."

"I understand." Iris got up from her seat and headed inside, giving Tiffany's shoulder a gentle squeeze as she passed her. Iris opened the screen door and called for the guys. She then walked back over and grabbed her tea, walking over to sit down away from Tiffany. She was only going to observe the exchange, and only go in if it was getting out of hand.

Tiffany finished off what was left in her teacup and then got up from her seat to stand.

The guys filed out of the house, standing before Tiffany who crossed her arms over her chest.

"We're sorry," started Rowen. "We're sorry that we fought in your house."

"You think I'm mad about that? I'm mad that you three," Tiffany gave pointed looks at Sage, Kento, and Rowen, "went at each other's throats without talking it over."

"Well Kento started it," muttered Sage.

"I don't care who started it! Geeze, you guys are acting like children! Pointing fingers and saying who started what. You're grown-ass men and you should start acting like it!"

The guys hung their heads in shame at what Tiffany had just said, knowing she was right. Ryo glanced up at her and was shocked to see Tiffany almost in tears, breathing heavily to try and keep them in.

"You're right, I'm sorry," apologized Sage.

"I'm sorry, too," Kento input.

"I don't understand what happened. Why did you guys not talk with one another?" Tiffany wondered.

"With everything that happened, with you and Ryo, it infuriated me when I heard what Sage and Rowen had said about you that I didn't want to listen to reason," explained Kento. "It seemed like you were going through so much and that they were against you."

"While I appreciate that Kento, please don't jump to conclusions again. And please ask for confirmation before you pull a stunt like that again." Tiffany turned to Sage and Rowen. "As for you two, don't leave like you did. When you left, I agree with Kento that it made you look guilty."

"I know, and we're sorry for it," said Sage and Rowen nodded in agreement.

Tiffany took in a deep breath and let it out, a small smile spreading across her face. "But you guys apologized to each other, right?"

"We did after Iris told us what had happened," explained Sage, nodding his head over to Iris.

"That's good." Tiffany laid her eyes on Ryo and her smile disappeared.

"Tiffany-" Ryo started but stopped when Tiffany raised a hand. She turned to the others. "Can you go inside?"

"Are you sure?" Cye asked, speaking up since he came outside. He kept silent because Tiffany didn't direct her anger at him and didn't want to be on Tiffany's bad side.

"Go inside," ordered Ryo. "Give us some privacy."

Iris stood up. "Come on, everyone." She ushered the others inside, leaving Ryo and Tiffany standing outside. The two stared at each other and the wind whistled in the background, lightly blowing their hair in the wind.

"I'm sorry," started Ryo. "I'm so sorry for everything I did and everything I put you through. I _never_ wanted to hurt and I hate myself for what I did. I didn't know what I was doing until Iris set me free and told me what happened. I wish I could have been more aware of what I was doing so I could have gotten myself out of it sooner."

Tiffany stared at him, moving her arms to hold her stomach. She gripped her arms and her fingers dug into them, her nails almost breaking the skin. Ryo took slow steps toward Tiffany until he was right in front of her. He reached a hand out towards her but Tiffany flinched away, making Ryo drop his head.

"I can't forget what you did to me," Tiffany said, glancing at the ground. Ryo sighed, nodding his head. "But I know what you did wasn't really your fault." She glanced up at him and offered him a small smile. "I forgive you, but don't expect us to go right back to what we were. You did hurt me, and it's going to take a while for me to accept what happened."

Ryo reached out to Tiffany again and she didn't flinch from him this time which allowed Ryo to wrap his arms around her. He held her close to him and Tiffany undid her arms, wrapping them loosely around him. "I will do anything to see you smiling again."

Tiffany chuckled, squeezing her eyes shut and holding Ryo closer to her. Ryo rubbed his hand up and down her back and the gesture relaxed Tiffany. For the first time in a while, Tiffany felt like everything was back to normal.

* * *

"We were so close!" screamed Sephiran, throwing a chair across the room. "How could you all let this happen?!"

His generals were kneeling on the floor, avoiding their master's heated gaze. Mika and Asami were also avoiding eye contact with him.

"Master, that woman was different," answered Fuzen. "It was like she knew of our plans. She must have had something to do with the Ronins breaking out of their dazed state."

"But you could have taken down the temptress! Why didn't you?!"

"The woman had powers beyond our capabilities," answered Asami, daring to glance up at Sephiran. "Her powers were stronger than ours."

Sephiran glared down at her, knowing she knew something else but didn't say anything when Asami gave pointed looks at Mika. This was something that she shouldn't hear and she had to be out of the room for Sephiran to hear. Suddenly, Sephiran turned his anger towards Mika.

"It seems you weren't strong enough to get Ryo out of the temptress's spell."

Mika flinched at his statement, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I'm sorry."

Sephiran scoffed. "Get out of my sight. All of you." His generals stood up, bowed before him, and left you. "Not you, Asami." She stopped and walked over to him. They all waited until the doors closed to start talking. "What do you mean about that woman?"

"She had the power from the clan of the ancients. I think she was the Priestess at one point, but still has her powers."

"That changes things then."

"My Lord, why don't we just ambush them?" asked Kai. "We can overwhelm them and captured the girl."

"They know who we want and since they are no longer distracted, it will be harder to get my daughter." Sephiran walked over to his throne and sat down on it, setting his elbow on the armrest and laying his head on his palm. He tapped his fingers with his other hand on the armrest, thinking over what to do. An idea suddenly came to him and he lifted his head off his hand.

"You have an idea, my Lord?" wondered Kai.

"Yes, and if we pull it off, we will have what we want."


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 13

"Thank you, Iris, for everything," said Tiffany.

"Don't mention it, my child." Iris brought Tiffany into a hug, holding her tight. "I'll see you on Saturday."

Tiffany nodded, holding the door open as Iris walked out of the house. She watched her get in the car and drive away before she closed the door. Tiffany walked toward the kitchen to get herself a bottle of water.

Cye had just finished preparing everything for dinner and combined everything together in a pot of water.

"Have you and Ryo made up?" he asked her.

"Sort of," she answered, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge. "It's going to be a while before we go back to the way we were." Tiffany opened the bottle, taking a sip of the water. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it back up, not sure if she should suggest anything.

"Is something on your mind?" Cye turned to look at her, concerned when he saw Tiffany's worried expression. "Are you still unsure about Ryo?"

"I shouldn't be. He gave me his word and his apology was sincere…but…"

"But you're worried he'll betray your trust," Cye finished for her.

"Is it wrong that I think that?" Tiffany stared at him.

Cye walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's ok to think that. You were hurt, and you don't know if you can trust someone after that." He gave her a smile and he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "It's going to be ok. Everything is going to get better."

Tiffany smiled back at him and surprised him with a hug to which he returned.

"I agree."

Tiffany looked over Cye's shoulder and Cye turned around to find Sage, Rowen, and Kento standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "It will get better," confirmed Sage, offering her a smile. She returned it and gave each of them a hug, letting them know she believed things will get better. With that in mind, Tiffany knew what she must do.

Ryo sat in the gazebo, staring off into space. White Blaze was laying on the floor next to him, his head resting on his paws. He was alert despite his relaxed state in case someone tried to come in. The tiger's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps and he raised his head only to lower it back down at the sight of Tiffany. The young woman stood at the entrance of the gazebo, staring at Ryo.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking," he answered, not turning to look at her. Tiffany nodded and moved over to sit down next to him. The two sat in silence, staring off into space, not acknowledging each other.

"What…" Ryo started but trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.

"No, go on," encourage Tiffany, turning to look at him. "What were you doing to say?"

Ryo sighed and then lowered his head and shut his eyes. "What did I do to you to want to end it?" He turned to her and Tiffany was surprised by the pain she saw in them. His face was stoic but it was his eyes that cued her in. Pain swirled in the depths of his blue eyes and it made Tiffany realize that while she was mostly affected by what happened, Ryo was forced to do what he did and it pained him to know he was the one to hurt her.

"You…you…" Tiffany looked away for she didn't want to see how Ryo would react. "You let her kiss you and you flirted with her right in front of me. You didn't even know I was there, focusing all your attention on her. She went on and on about how you were taking her to some fancy restaurant and you agreed that she looked great in anything."

Ryo inhaled sharply and then quickly got up from the bench. He walked out of the gazebo and started pacing in the backyard before heading over to a tree. He punched the bark of it, wanting to release a scream of anger for everything that he had done. Arms suddenly wrapped around his midsection. Ryo kept a hand on the tree while his other hand grabbed hold of Tiffany's hand. Tiffany laid her head on Ryo's back and stood behind him in silence. It was an understanding between the two that they both had suffered and they both needed the comfort.

* * *

"I hate this teacher!" exclaimed Kento, slamming his tray down on the table his friends were sitting. Cye jumped at the sudden intrusion while Sage and Rowen only stared at his friend's outburst.

"Why? What happened?" asked Rowen.

"In one of my business classes, the professor gave me a 'C' because the assignment seemed too 'unrealistic.'" Kento plopped down in his seat, releasing an irritated noise as he did.

"What was the assignment about?" Cye asked.

"We had to write a summary of what we did at a job we work at or, if we don't have a job, to search for a job and write about it. I wrote about my experiences at my ma's but the teacher said it didn't seem real. He said there was no way I'd be working at a restaurant and that, if I want to be realistic, I should have thought of a more practical job."

"He didn't think you're really working at a restaurant?"

"Nope." Kento stabbed his food with his fork.

Cye patted his friend on the back while Kento mulled over what happened.

"Where's Ryo?" asked Sage, changing the subject. He scanned the cafeteria for him but didn't see him.

"He should be coming," answered Cye as he also looked around. "He told me he was unless he changed plans last minute. Oh, there he is!" He gestured to the corner of the room as Ryo walked around the corner, holding a tray with one hand while his bookbag was slung over his shoulder.

Ryo was looking for his friends when he spotted them and started heading over. He didn't get far for Mika called out to him. He turned to her as she approached him. "I waited for you last night but you never came," Mika said, a small smile on her lips. "Did something happen?"

Ryo's eyes narrowed at her. "I know what your master wants and if you're going to try to do the same thing, it's not going to work."

"What are you talking about?" Maria asked, faking innocence. "I-"

"Stop." Ryo leaned towards her. "Whatever you're trying to pull, just stop it. I'm not letting you trick me again." He started walking away from her but Mika grabbed his arm.

"You don't understand. She is only using you until she gets what she wants."

"Is that what you were going to do? Use me until your master gets what he wants?"

Mika shook her head. "No, he wants to help. The temptress is only using you until she brings back Talpa." Ryo stared at her, an eyebrow raised but Mika continued unaware of his questioning expression. "Ryo, please. I'm only trying to help, that's why they brought me back." Mika smiled at him. "It's me…Maria."

Ryo's eyes widen at her statement but it quickly went away, replaced by hurt and anger. "Is this some sick joke?"

Mika's smile faded. "No, I-"

"I heard enough." Ryo wrenched his arm from Mika's grasp and walked away. Mika watched him go and over to his friends. Hurt was displayed on her face but it quickly faded, her body filling with hate. This hate wasn't directed towards Ryo, but at the Temptress. She was the one who did this to him, make him forget all about her. Made him forget the connection they had. She knew what she had to do now.

"You ok?" Rowen asked Ryo as he sat down.

"I'm fine," Ryo waved him off. "A little irritated, but I'll be fine."

"What did Mika say to you?" wondered Kento.

"She told me Tiffany was using me to resurrect Talpa and that she was only trying to help me see that."

The guys froze at that. "She knew about Talpa?"

"How would she know about him?"

"And why would she call Tiffany a temptress?"

Ryo thought about all of the questions and what Mika had told him. _Is it true? Did someone really bring Maria back to life?_ He looked up at the others and they shared a knowing look. Something wasn't right.

* * *

White Blaze and Kalana were walking through the forest, patrolling the area around the house. White Blaze suddenly stopped, his nose twitching for a familiar scent was in the air. _"What's wrong,"_ Kalana wondered, turning back to him.

 _"Do you smell that?"_

Kalana raised her head, sniffing the air. A familiar scent wafted in and she glanced back at White Blaze, looking at him for confirmation that she wasn't imagining it. The tiger nodded and the two walked to the edge of the forest. A young boy skated down the road and Kalana perked up at him, tail wagging in excitement. She darted out to the road with White Blaze close behind.

The boy glided across the road as he pushed his foot on the ground to gain more speed. An animal darted out in front of him and he expertly maneuvered out of the way. However, he couldn't get out of the way of the other animal in his path. He stumbled off the skateboard, the ground rapidly coming towards him, but he stopped inches from the ground. Looking behind him, he saw Kalana holding the back of his shirt with her teeth. She lowered him to the ground and the boy smiled widely at her. "Key, Kalana!" He rubbed the wolf's head in greeting. He felt a nudge from behind and turned around. "White Blaze!" The tiger chuffed at him. The boy walked over and grabbed his skateboard. "The guys are around here, right?" At their nod, he got on his skateboard. "Let's go!" He took off and the two animals followed him on either side.

* * *

Tiffany sat on the patio reading a book, taking sips of her tea. She heard something running towards her spot and looked up from her book as Kalana and White Blaze ran in with the boy holding the skateboard. "Hi, Tiffany!"

"Yulie!" Tiffany got up and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. "How are you doing?" She pulled away. "You've gotten taller."

Yulie smiled. "Yeah, I got an inch taller. Maybe two inches. Are the guys around?"

"They're in class." Tiffany eyed him suspiciously. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"A water pipe broke and flooded the school. They called this morning that school was cancelled until everything was fixed and cleaned up. They said in the call that it looked like it was done on purpose."

"On purpose? What-" Tiffany stopped mid-sentence when Kalana and White Blaze started growling. "Yulie, get behind me." He moved around par her instructions.

From the forest emerged Karver and Malice. "Hello, Priestess," Karver greeted sweetly.

"Not an accident, huh?" Tiffany asked, referring to the incident at Yulie's school. They must have done something to cause the water pipe to burst to get him to come here, distract her from the fight.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Karver smirked at her which irritated Tiffany. But, as she kept on glaring at him, a realization came to her at who he was. "It's you."

Karver's smile widen. "I wasn't acting back then. I do have a …attraction towards you. Maybe we can have alone time."

Kalana released angry barks at Karver's implication.

"That's enough, Karver," ordered Malice, glancing at him. "Remember our mission." He diverted his eyes to the small group in front of him. "We can do this either of two ways, Priestess. You can come with us quietly or…" He held up his sickle, the weapon gleaming menacingly at them. "We do it our way."

Tiffany stood in front of Yulie to block him from the sight of the generals. "What you did was a dirty trick. I'm not going with you."

"Wrong choice." Malice swung the sickle, heading straight for Tiffany but it stopped in mid-air. Tiffany stared at the weapon inches from her face as the wind blew around her, making the weapon fly back at the generals which caught them off guard. A small smirk was on her face and Tiffany stomped the ground with her foot, splitting it open as sharp rocks came out of the ground and headed for the generals. They jumped to avoid the rocks but while they were in the air, water surrounded them and suddenly froze up, encasing them in a thick sheet of ice, leaving only their heads exposed. The two fell to the ground, making a crater from the impact. Tiffany slowly walked towards them, Kalana and White Blaze close to her side as she approached the struggling generals. They stopped their struggles when Tiffany stood in front of them.

"Finish us off, then," Malice spat at her.

"No." Tiffany reached a hand out to him, placing it on top of his head. "I know you have the Warlords trapped." Before she could begin the ritual to free their spirits, her body started moving against her will. Kalana and White Blaze were whining beside her as they were forced to lay on the ground.

Mika walked into the area, eyes trained on Tiffany. Hatred flowed through her body, and she wanted nothing more than to end Tiffany's life for what she did. "How dare you," Mika muttered but slowly raised her voice. "How dare you trick them! Making them adore and care for you when you're only using them for your own selfish reasons."

"What…what do you mean?"

Mika took a deep breath, keeping herself from screaming at Tiffany, and then cocked her head to the side, making Tiffany's body twist around to the point where it would snap in half. Tiffany released an anguish scream of pain and she thought she heard something snap.

"Mika, we still need her," Karver said. When Mika didn't respond, he yelled again. "Mika!" She cocked her head to the other side which stilled Tiffany and the animals. They all collapsed to the ground, not moving.

"What-"

"They're only unconscious," Mika answered, her gaze settling on two pieces of rocks. She focused on them and they levitated into the air. She moved her head to the generals and they pierced the ice which shattered, freeing them from their icy prison. Karver walked over to Tiffany and hauled her over his shoulder.

Yulie stood from his spot on the patio, shaking with fear on what he had just witnessed. He then froze when the woman turned her attention to him. She calmly walked over to him and then lowered herself to look him in the eye. Smiling, Mika said, "Don't worry, Yulie. The temptress won't be a probably for you or the guys anymore. Soon, you'll be free from her hold." She turned around and walked away from him. Yulie was left speechless as the trio disappeared from view with an unconscious Tiffany.


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Two cars pulled into the driveway of the house and the guys got out from them.

"I'm so glad it's Friday," stated Kento, a big smile on his face.

"And that we all have the weekend to ourselves," added Rowen.

"What are we going to do over the weekend?" wondered Cye. "It's been a while since we've all been off."

"I was going to ask…" Ryo trailed off as his eyes landed on the side of the house. He saw that the ground looked shaken up, like it was forced up.

"Going to ask who? Ryo?"

Ryo walked over to the side and, as he got closer, the ground behind the house was destroyed. His heart stopped for a second as he stared at the mess.

Sage started walking over to him, wondering what he was looking at, when Ryo ran into the back. Sage ran after him for he knew something was wrong.

Ryo entered the backyard and was stunned by the destruction. He knew a battle had happened here, but he was more concerned about who won. He saw Yulie, which shocked him, who was by White Blaze. Ryo went over to them just as Sage and the others got to the backyard. They stared at the mess, also stunned.

Yulie was stroking White Blaze's back as the tiger stared at the forest. Both turned around when they heard something running towards them.

"What happened?" Ryo demanded once he got to them.

"These guys came in and fought Tiffany. It was weird because they wore the armor of the Warlords. Tiffany was winning until a woman joined and knocked out Tiffany, Kalana, and White Blaze," explained Yulie as his eyes lined with tears. "They took Tiffany with them."

Ryo's eyes widen as he took a sharp breath. _No, this can't be happening._

"Where's Kalana?" asked Sage, standing next to Ryo.

"She took off into the forest when she came to."

"Probably tracking Tiffany," Rowen said, appearing next to them.

"Holy shit," muttered Kento. "Tiffany did this?"

"Yeah," Yulie answered. "I heard her say she was going to set the Warlords free before she was attacked. Before they left with Tiffany, the woman came to me and told me not to worry and that Tiffany won't bother you guys anymore."

"That bitch!" cursed Kento, turning to punch one of the earth spikes, causing it to crack in the middle and topple over.

This snapped Ryo out of his shocked state and his gaze hardened. Only one thing was on his mind. "We're going to get her back."

* * *

Tiffany slowly came to, lifting her head off the mattress. She was shocked, first off, that she was lying on a mattress and not a stone, cold floor. Also, she wasn't in a cell, but in a bedroom. Well, it wasn't really a bedroom. The floors were carpeted and the mattress she was laying on had sheets, but other than that, that was it. The room nothing compared to what she had back home, but the room she's in was simple. To her dismay, there were no windows, just one door and one mirror. Any chance of escape she needed was through that one door and Tiffany knew that it would be guarded.

"You're awake."

Tiffany quickly turned to see Asami sitting in a chair. Asami gave her a smile and then got up, slowly approaching Tiffany.

"Where am I?" asked Tiffany.

"You are in the Nether World. Karver and Malice dropped you off while they went to alert Sephiran of your "arrival." I stayed with you for I didn't trust the generals, especially Karver."

The door then opened and Karver walked in. "Finally, you're up." He walked closer to Tiffany until he was right in front of her. Tiffany glared up at him, not moving from her spot. She wasn't going to cower from him like he probably wanted her to. Karver smirked at her courage as he reached out to grab her chin. His thumb stroked her face while he stared into her eyes until they lowered to stare at her lips.

"Don't even think about," stated Tiffany.

"You don't call the shots here, sweetheart." Karver smirked at her, licking his lips.

"Karver," Asami warned.

He turned to glare at her and then released Tiffany's chin. "You don't order me around, woman."

"Remember that Sephiran doesn't want anything to happen to her."

"For now, at least. Once he gets what he wants," Karver glanced over his shoulder at Tiffany, "he'll have no use for her."

Asami moved to stand in front of Karver, blocking his view of Tiffany. "I will not allow you to touch her while I'm here. I will stay in the same room with her to make sure you don't try anything."

"You're a bothersome one." He pushed Asami out of the way, grabbing hold of Tiffany's upper arm and pulling her off the mattress. "Calm down," he said at Asami's opened mouth. "Master wanted to meet with her when she woke up."

"Let me go." Tiffany pulled her arm away from Karver's grasp, but he only tightened his hold, pulling her close to him. "I have no problem carrying you kicking and screaming." She glared at him but let him lead her out of the room with Asami close behind. They walked down the hallways and Tiffany checked her surroundings. There were no guards, no soldiers walking down the halls. _No army,_ concluded Tiffany. _Just the Master and his minions._ They continued walking and soon, the doors of the throne room were visible. Tiffany prepared herself for what she was to face as the doors opened for the trio. They opened just enough for the three to walk in before closing again. Karver brought Tiffany to the front and then got down on one knee, forcing Tiffany down as well.

"Master, I've brought the girl for you."

"Very good, Karver." Tiffany raised her head and laid her eyes upon a suit of armor sitting on the throne, shrouded in darkness, its red glowing eyes staring deep into her soul. She flinched at its gaze, feeling the evil practically coming out of it. Her eyes trailed off to the side to see Mika standing with two other men. She narrowed her eyes at her and Mika did the same thing, but added a smirk which pissed off Tiffany.

"What's wrong, Temptress?" mocked Mika. "Upset that you've been beaten?"

"Mika," chastised Kai.

She glanced at him and nodded, but turned back to Tiffany, still wearing her smirk.

"What should we do to her, Master?" asked Malice.

"I have been dying to test this armor on something," added Naga, taking out his katanas.

The generals closed in around Tiffany as Karver held her in place. They brandished their weapons and they smiled at the fear creeping on Tiffany's face. Tiffany desperately looked for a way to escape, panicking when her window was getting smaller and smaller.

"Stop!" ordered Sephiran, causing the generals to halt and turn to him. "Kai, escort my generals and Mika out."

"Yes, my Lord." Kai bowed to him then gave a curt nod to the generals. They bowed before him and turned to leave. Karver pushed Tiffany away from him only to be steadied by Asami. Kai placed his hand on Mika's back and lead her out of the throne. She turned to give a puzzling look to Sephiran, wondering why he stopped them from hurting Tiffany, but at Kai's gentle shove, she turned back around and walked forward.

The doors to the room closed, leaving only Sephiran, Tiffany, and Asami. Sephiran got up from his throne and walked over to Tiffany. The further he stepped into the light, the more Tiffany got a good look at him. His armor was like the night itself was approaching and the only thing shown was a gold faceplate. No face was etched in it, not giving any emotion as to what Sephiran was feeling. He stopped before Tiffany as he stared down at her with red piercing eyes. A shiver went through Tiffany's body as she stared into the soulless eyes. It felt like all her strength went away and was replaced by fear. The cold touch of Sephiran's hands on her chin made Tiffany release a small gasp. Sephiran was silent as he stared at her. Neither of them moved, it was like they were waiting for someone to make the first move.

Asami looked back and forth between the two. The silence was unnerving her and she didn't know what was going to happen. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Sephiran moved his hand to Tiffany's cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

"My daughter," he mumbled. "You have your mother's eyes."

Tiffany held her breath, not daring to speak. Her body trembled and she hoped Sephiran couldn't tell that. Sephiran moved his hand from its place on her cheek to her hair, running his fingers through it. He then rested his head against Tiffany's which made the young woman flinch and squeeze her eyes shut. The cold metal against her skin took the warmth away from her body and all she could feel was the cold from the armor's touch.

Sephiran lifted his head and looked over at Asami, his eyes boring into hers. "You took her away from me."

"You wanted to use her," explained Asami, backing away a little. "I feared for her safety."

"But she's still my daughter!" Sephiran suddenly stood up and the action caused Tiffany to fall back. Asami cowered underneath his stern gaze. "I only saw her as a baby! I didn't get to see her grow up!"

"Nor did I!" Asami stood up straighter and glared back at him. She couldn't believe he was giving her this excuse. "I had to give Tiffany to my sister in fear of you! I saw her a few weeks ago and even then, it wasn't for my own interest! For twenty years, I couldn't see our daughter because I feared you would somehow escape and try to go after her!"

The two stared each other down as Tiffany watched from her spot on the floor. She watched as Sephiran raised his hand and smacked Asami across the face. Asami's head wiped to the side and she placed a hand on her burning cheek. "You do not talk back to me like that," he growled. "I am your husband."

Asami glanced at him with tear-filled eyes. "The man in front of me isn't my husband. He left a long time ago."

Sephiran glared down at her and then turned around to show her his back. He looked down at Tiffany and she got up from the floor, standing straight up and glaring at him. She moved her hand back, flexing her hand out to command the earth to come towards her. The ground slowly spiked up toward her outstretched hand like a magnet. Sephiran watched the exchange, not doing anything to stop it. Tiffany shot her hand out towards him and the earth moved towards him, forming a spike at him. Sephiran stood in his spot as he waited for the earth to get closer to him when he raised his hand and grabbed the earth. He twisted his wrist and broke off the end he was holding. Tiffany widened her eyes, shocked by this, but quickly overcame it, using her other arm to wave it in front of her, a blast of air rushing past her and over to Sephiran. The wind blew at him but he didn't move from his spot. He calmly started to walk over towards Tiffany who kept on throwing wind blasts at him to knock him off his feet. The attacks didn't faze him as he continued to walk over to her.

The closer he got, the more Tiffany got anxious and when he was close enough to touch her, Tiffany reached both hands behind her, willing the earth to come to her. Feeling pieces of the earth in her hands, Tiffany threw them at Sephiran but he crouched down, the earth whizzing past him and he ran towards Tiffany. He grabbed hold of her arm and knocked her legs from underneath her, pulling her over his shoulder and onto her back. Tiffany released a gasp of pain, dazed when she felt Sephiran holding both her arms to the ground. "Do not make me restrain you, Tiffany."

Tiffany struggled in Sephiran's grasp, kicking her feet wildly and moving her body around to try and through Sephiran's weight off her. She heard shouting but kept her focus on trying to break free. Her legs were suddenly pinned down and she thrashed even more, feeling hands grab hold of her ankle. Something snapped around it and all at once, the weight was lifted off her and Tiffany quickly jumped to her feet. She noticed that Kai was standing next to Sephiran and narrowed her eyes at them. Reaching out her hand, she commanded the earth to her but a sharp pain ran through her body and suddenly, she was on fire. It burned through her muscles and Tiffany screamed in pain and, just as quickly as it came, it dispersed and Tiffany collapsed to the ground again. Panting, she glanced at her legs to find a metal bracelet locked around her ankle.

"I didn't want to do this, Tiffany," started Sephiran. "But you left me no choice."

"This device will send an electric shock whenever you try to use your power," explained Kai. "You are powerless here, Priestess."

"I may be powerless, but I can still fight. You can't keep me here."

"You really think you can pass through our generals?" Kai laughed at her bold statement and walked over to her, crouching in front of her. "My dear girl, with no powers, you can't escape us."

"You only have four generals and no guards. How do you plan to keep me here with no forces to stop me?"

"I may not have an army now," started Sephiran, walking over to the two. "But I will soon. That's why I need you."

Tiffany shifted away, eyeing him suspiciously. "Whatever you have planned, I will not be a part of it."

"It doesn't matter." Sephiran walked past her. "You will do what I say." He glanced back at her. "Or there will be consequences."

Tiffany swallowed the lump in her throat. While there was the nervous feeling she had about what the consequences were, she was determined to not let that bother her. "I don't care if you are my father. I will not be some servant and obey my master's wishes." Something hit her back which made her fall to the floor.

"You respect Lord Sephiran you ungrateful child!" scolded Kai.

"Do not touch her!" roared Sephiran turning to him. His red eyes burned brightly into Kai's. "Send a message to the generals. No one is allowed to hurt or touch her. Anyone that does will answer to me."

Kai bowed before him. "Yes, my Lord. Should I deliver the same message to Mika?"

"Yes." Sephiran turned to Asami. "Take our daughter back to her room and give her proper clothing. I will not see my daughter in those disgusting rags."

Tiffany turned to yell at him but stopped at Asami's appearance. A black eye was forming on her right eye while a bruise was forming on her cheek where Sephiran hit her. Asami nodded and quickly walked over to her, helping Tiffany up from the ground. The two walked out of the throne room and back towards the room. Keeping her gaze set in front of her, Asami whispered out, "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I never wanted this to happen." Tiffany squeezed Asami's hand, letting her know she understood. As much as Tiffany hated to admit it, she was trapped and under the watchful eye of her tyrant father.

* * *

Kayura was busy doing her laundry outside the house, humming a soft tune as she worked. A howl ripped through the air that made Kayura stop her actions and turned to see Kalana racing towards her. Not seeing Tiffany on the wolf's back made Kayura's blood run cold and she dropped the shirt she was holding, not caring if it got dirty again. Kayura met Kalana halfway and knelt before her, holding the wolf's head in her hands. "Where's Tiffany?" Kalana whined in response and Kayura instantly knew something had happened. She hurried back to the house with Kalana at her heels, barging inside.

Mizuki looked up from her book, giving Kayura a questioning look. Before she could speak, Kayura said, "Something happened to Tiffany. Where's Dad?"

"I'm here," Hayate replied, walking into the room. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but call all the villagers back to their homes. We need to disappear."

He nodded and hurried out the front door. The ringing of bells soon sounded and voices could be heard out in the open.

"Kayura, what is going on," demanded Mizuki.

"We need to be safe." Kayura came back out holding the staff of the ancients. "From what Tiffany told me, I think her father is back."

Mizuki froze. "He wouldn't…"

Kayura brought Mizuki into a hug. "We will get Tiffany back but we need to protect our people." She hurried out of the house and into the center of the village, lifting the staff into the air. It started glowing and Kayura closed her eyes, the wind blowing around her, lifting her hair in the air and ruffling her clothes. Electricity danced around her and she leaned her head back, opening her eyes to look at the sky above her. _Kaos, protect our village._ She brought the staff to the ground, piercing it. Light exploded from the staff and it expanded over the village, creating a gold dome over the area. The dome hovered over for a few moments when a bright flash of light happened and the dome exploded. The village that was once there was now gone, hidden from view.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The generals were scattered about in their room. Malice and Naga were sitting in chairs while Fuzen was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Karver stood close to the door as if he was waiting for someone to come in.

"Why are you so on edge?" Naga asked, glancing at him.

"I'm listening."

Fuzen gave him a sideways glance. "For what?"

"Her footsteps. They're light but with a confident stride in them."

"The things you focus on," muttered Malice, shaking his head. He grabbed his weapon and started sharpening it, too dull for his taste. He wanted his blade to slice his enemies in half, not simply injure them. "What do you even want with the girl?"

"It's been a while since I had a good lay, and she's perfect for what I had in mind." Karver licked his lips. "I want to see her break underneath me, to see her eyes lose the fire that is in them."

The three generals shared a knowing look. Karver was different than they were. They wanted to get their job done and over with, but Karver took his time. He watched them suffer, wanting until they lost the will to live before he killed them. It's not that the three generals weren't a fan of torture but that Karver enjoyed it was too much than the others. Karver tortured everyone that stood in front of him, man, woman, or child.

"You may want to be careful around her," warned Fuzen. "She is a Priestess after all and we are inhabiting the bodies of the Warlords. She could force us out of their bodies if she got a hold of you."

Karver turned to him. "It sounds to me you're scared a little girl, Fuzen."

"No, I'm just cautious."

They heard footsteps approaching the door and Malice and Naga got up from their seats while Fuzen pushed himself off the wall. Kai walked in, closing the door behind him before addressing the generals. "I'm here to deliver a message from Lord Sephiran. None of you are to touch the Priestess." He eyed each of them after he said that and his gaze lingered on Karver. "Anyone who does will answer to him."

"And why not?" challenged Karver.

"Stop it, Karver," Malice ordered.

Karver turned to him in disbelief. "You know what we did in the past. Our old master loved it when I broke his enemies."

"We serve a new master now and he ordered us not to touch the Priestess. Unless he says so the Priestess is off limit, am I clear?"

"But-"

Malice took a step towards him, cutting off what he was going to say. "I said am." _Step._ "I." _Step._ "Clear." He stood inches from Karver.

"Crystal," Karver gritted out.

"Good."

"Let Mika know when you see her," said Kai, turning to leave the room. Malice and Naga sat back down and Karver stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. Fuzen rolled his eyes at Karver's immature nature and walked over towards Mika's room to relay to her what Kai had said, but when he opened the door, Mika wasn't in her room.

* * *

Tiffany sat on the mattress, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try and calm herself. She was no longer in her jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers but in a violet kimono. Her feet were left alone, giving her no protection against the cold floor. Asami had brushed her hair, pulling it back in a simple braid. She didn't like this attire, but didn't fight against it for she didn't want her mother to pay the price for her disobedience.

The door to her room opened and Mika walked in, glaring at her new appearance. "Well, well, well, look who's getting the royal treatment."

"Oh yes, the accommodates are just outstanding," snarked Tiffany. "Given new clothes, have the whole room to myself, and no access to the outside world."

A smirk played on Mika's lips. "Glad you are enjoying your stay, but you look a little uncomfortable." She raised a hand. "Let's change that." Her fingers curled and Tiffany's body stood up straight, her arms pinned down at her sides. Pointing her fingers towards herself, Tiffany came off the mattress and hovered in front of Mika. A stone levitated in the air before it was thrown towards Tiffany, jabbing into her stomach. Tiffany opened her mouth to scream but it slammed shut. "Oh no, we don't want you screaming. Sephiran doesn't want to hear your screams from across the castle anyway." More stones were thrown towards her and all Tiffany could do was stand there and take the beatings. Muffled screams were heard and it took everything that Tiffany had to not let the tears forming in her eyes to fall.

Mika stopped her assaults and reached behind her to take out a knife. It gleamed in the low light. "You make me sick. The Ronin Warriors are here to protect the world from people like you. What motive do you have to bring back Talpa? What sick game were you playing?" She scoffed. "You didn't even love Ryo, did you? You ungrateful bitch."

Tiffany wanted to speak, shake her head, anything to get Mika to stop. She wanted to explain everything to her and that she was lied to, but her body wouldn't listen to her.

"I loved him more than anything. He understood me and looked out for me. But they will be free." She pulled the knife back. "Once you are out of the way."

Tiffany shut her eyes and a tear leaked out of them, running down her face. Just when Mika was about to throw the knife, she stopped when Tiffany morphed into herself. Mika froze, staring at herself and when her eyes glanced over to a mirror next to Tiffany, she saw Tora staring back at her. Mika gasped, backing away which freed Tiffany from her hold. Tiffany stayed on the ground, trembling from the pain, not paying much attention to Mika.

As Mika stared at Tiffany, her mind raced back to her childhood. She saw herself crouching on the floor, holding her hands up to protect her face as Tora threw kick after kick at her, screaming that everything was her fault and she was the reason for her mother's death.

"What did you do?!"

Mika turned around, opening her mouth to apologize for something she did that pissed off Tora, but realized he wasn't there. Asami stood in the doorway, wide eyes filled with terror. Mika was snapped back to the present and the memories quickly came back to her. "I-"

"Did you not hear what Sephiran said?!" Asami rushed past her, gathering Tiffany into her arms. "My girl," cooed Asami, stroking Tiffany's hair. "My poor, sweet girl."

Mika stared at the exchange and zoned in on Asami's black eye and bruised face. She knew those injuries too well from her own experiences and she backed out of the room, turning when she made it out of the door. She walked back to her room but quickly picked up the pace, practically sprinting towards her room. _I'm not turning into him,_ she told herself. _I'm not like him. I didn't…I didn't…I…_ Her thoughts trailed off and she came to a halt, staring at the ground. No matter how she tried to deny it, tried to defend herself for her actions, she couldn't deny the truth. She was becoming him, becoming a monster.

* * *

Kayura walked through the forest with Kalana right beside her. The closer they got the house, the more they could hear swords clashing against each other. Kayura quickened her pace, knowing that the guys were probably training but wanted to be sure and, sure enough, saw the guys training with one another. Relieved, Kayura slowly approached the warriors.

Rowen was the first to notice her and called for a break, each of them turning to her. They put away their weapons but kept their armors on.

"I know something happened with Tiffany, but what is the full story?" she asked.

"From what Yulie told us, Tiffany was ambushed and taken," explained Sage. "We have no idea where they took her."

"They will send a message, though" said Ryo.

"How right you are, Ronin." The sky above them turned dark, thunder rumbling and lightning flashing. The warriors brandished their weapons and Kalana and White Blaze barred their teeth. Kayura kept back to keep Yulie, who was watching the guys train earlier, out of harm's way.

The lightening pierced the ground in front of the warriors, a shadow forming in the light. The darkness consumed the light and all that was shown was a piercing pair of red eyes.

"Greetings, Ronin Warriors. It is good to finally see you in the flesh."

"But we can't see you," declared Kento. "Come out from the dark and face us like a man!"

The voice chuckled. "All in good time, eager warriors. But first, a proposition for you."

"What kind of proposition?"

"I will give you three days to train to your maximum strength and, after the three days, I will transport you five to my world where we will fight. Winner claims the Priestess."

"You expect us to wait three days while Tiffany is left with you?" growled Ryo.

"My generals will not lay a finger on the Priestess while in my care. I give you my word." The thunder rumbled again and the lighting pierced the ground where the shadow stood, collecting it and taking it up to the sky. "I await our fight, my young warriors." Laughter filled the air, almost like it was taunting the warriors to even try and fight.

"Does he really expect us to sit here and wait three days?" Kento asked in disbelief. "I would have fought him now!"

"We would be no match against him now," reasoned Cye, turning to look him in the eye. "He would easily beat us and whatever he wants with Tiffany will be attainable."

"Cye is right," a new voice said.

Heads turned, shocked to see Mia standing on the porch.

"Mia? But how did-"

"I told Mizuki to communicate with Mia," Kayura answered.

"I think I have an idea of why this new enemy wants Tiffany. It's the same reason Anubis went to the Dynasty to help you five."

"Wait." Sage recalled a memory of Talpa trying something with the nine armors and Tiffany. "The spell Talpa tried. That's what they want, to try the spell again."

"Then it's a good thing he gave us three days," commented Rowen.

"I'll try to learn everything I can," Mia input, turning around to go inside with Yulie right behind to help her.

"Let's get back to training," ordered Ryo.

"I'll train with you," declared Kayura, donning her armor. "I need polish my fighting skills."

* * *

Sephiran sat back down on his throne, feeling accomplished with his task.

"Three days is very generous, my Lord," stated Kai.

"I want to fight them with their full strength. Besides, where's the fun if you're not going all out?"

"Of course, my Lord, but aren't you worried that they'll win."

Sephiran glanced over at him. "Do you doubt my capabilities, Kai?"

"No, not at all, but you are so close to getting your body back along with your full power. One slip up and you'll lose everything."

"Do not worry, Kai. Everything will go according to plan."


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 16

Tiffany hated it here. She wanted to go home, to be with her friends again. Being trapped in a cold and dark room with nothing to entertain herself with dragged on, making it seem to Tiffany she was trapped here for weeks. The only positive she could see to this was she got to know her mother a bit more. Asami shared stories of their village and its people. She heard about her childhood and how Mizuki left to live with Hayate after they married. In turn, Tiffany told Asami her childhood from her years of training with Kaos to be a Priestess, living in the woods, meeting the Ronin Warriors, and helping them in their fight against Talpa.

The talks were pleasant and Tiffany looked forward to their talks whenever Asami had time to spare. The generals didn't bother her but sometimes Karver would pass by to stare at her for a few minutes before leaving her alone. To say that guy gave her the creeps was an understatement, and Tiffany was glad Sephiran gave the order that none of the generals could touch her for she knew Karver would have tried something.

Mika hadn't come back for to bother her since her first encounter. While Tiffany was glad, she couldn't help but wonder what had gone through Mika's head that day. She saw something that terrified her and, while it repulsed her, Tiffany did want to help. She thought that maybe if she could convince Mika that she was on the wrong side, maybe she could help her and Asami get out of here. But since she never came, Tiffany couldn't have a conversation with her.

Tiffany laid back on the mattress, staring at the ceiling when the door to her room opened and Kai walked in with Asami behind him. "Lord Sephiran would like to have a word with you."

She slid off the mattress, walking over towards them. Asami gave her a small smile as Tiffany passed her and rested a hand on the middle of her back, gently guiding her to their destination. They stopped outside the throne room and Kai opened the door. Tiffany stepped inside as the door closed behind her. In front of her, a chair was placed before the throne and Tiffany slowly walked over to it. She was startled to see a table with food placed on it. Her stomach grumbled at the sight, not realizing how long it's been since she'd had a proper meal.

"I thought you might be hungry." Tiffany jumped and quickly turned, taking a step away from Sephiran. She had been so focused on the food laid out in front of her that she hadn't heard him walk up from behind. "My apologies, my dear. I did not mean to scare you." He patted her on the back then walked past her, heading to his throne to sit. He noticed Tiffany hadn't taken her seat and gestured to the seat. "Sit, eat."

Tiffany raised her eyebrow, surprised by his generosity, but she cautiously took her seat. Staring at the food placed in front of her, Tiffany wanted to eat but was still careful. He may be trying to trick her after all or the food could be drugged to make her do his bidding.

"Are you not hungry, my dear?" Sephiran asked, tilting his head to the side.

She shook her head. "No, just…troubled."

"By what?" At the questioning look she gave him, Sephiran released a chuckle. "I see. I promise nothing is wrong with the food. I only want to talk. It has been twenty years since I've last seen you."

"Just a talk?" Tiffany stared at him then glanced back down at the food. Her will-power slowly dwindled until she grabbed the silverware on the table and started eating.

"Enjoying the food, Tiffany?" Sephiran asked after a few minutes of silence.

Tiffany swallowed the food in her mouth. "Yes…thank you."

Sephiran nodded. "Now then, for the past twenty years, you have been living with your mother's sister, correct?"

"No, I mean, I did until I went off on my own for a few years and then I lived with the warriors."

"Ah yes, the Ronin Warriors. They seem like a strong bunch, don't they?" Sephiran leaned forward on his throne. "Now tell me, the Inferno armor is what killed Talpa." At Tiffany's nod, he continued. "Would you tell me which Ronin wears this armor?"

Tiffany froze, her fork held in suspension before she slowly lowered it back on her plate. Her gaze hardened as she stared at Sephiran. "What do you want?"

Chuckling, Sephiran stood up and slowly walked over to Tiffany. "As you probably realized, this isn't my real body, which is banned in another realm. In order to get it back, there are certain…conditions that must be obtained." Sephiran stood behind the chair Tiffany occupied in. "It involves my generals, your Ronins," he rested his hands on her shoulders. "And yourself." Tiffany tensed, not at Sephiran's touch, but at what he was explaining. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

"You are what Talpa wanted," came Tiffany's nervous reply.

"Well, if Talpa thought I was going to follow him, then no. I would have taken over his being, replacing his body with mine. His presence would leave this world and I would take over as leader of the Dynasty."

"Then what?" Tiffany turned to look at him. "Take over the world? Create it in your own image?"

"Anything that I want." Sephiran moved his hands off her shoulders, calmly walking away from her. "Of course, I need to get the Ronin Warriors first."

"You're not getting them nor their armors."

"I don't want their armor, specifically. Only their powers."

"It doesn't matter. They will never give you what you want."

Sephiran chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her. "My dear child, if you think your Ronins can stop me, you're wrong. I will destroy them, breaking their bodies and their spirits." Sephiran turned away, staring off into space. "Maybe I'll let my generals take turns breaking them. I know Karver loves to inflict as much pain as he can into his enemies."

Tiffany slammed her hands on the table, shooting up from her seat. "You will not hurt them!"

"Unless you have a different way to get what I want, then I still stand by what I will do." Sephiran walked further away from her. "Besides, my generals need punching bags anyway and I have a feeling those Ronins will be perfect to get their strength up."

"Wait!"

Sephiran stopped in his tracks, indicating that he was listening. Tiffany considered her words carefully before answering. "I know how to get their powers." This caught Sephiran's attention so he fully turned around to give Tiffany his undivided attention. "In return for telling you this, you will leave them alone. You will not hurt them nor give them to the generals. They will not become some plaything to you go your generals."

"Letting five young warriors go in exchange for information?" Sephiran shook his head, walking back over to her. "No, I want something else from you along with the information."

"What?"

Stopping in front of her, Sephiran peered down at her and said, "You." Tiffany took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes widening slightly. "You will stay here…forever."

Tiffany cast her eyes away from his, weighing her options. Either stay here and let her friends live or have her friends die and live with the guilt. She shut her eyes, easily coming to a decision, and snapped her eyes back to his. "I tell you the information in exchange for my friends' lives and my freedom" At his nod, Tiffany accepted the deal.

* * *

The doors from the throne room opened and Kai and Asami stood up from their seats next to the doors. Sephiran and Tiffany came out and Asami noticed the despair on her daughter's face.

"Kai, take the device off my daughter's ankle," commanded Sephiran.

"Are you sure that's wise, my Lord?" Kai questioned, but still did what Sephiran asked of him.

"Don't worry, she won't be going anywhere." Tiffany watched the bracelet come off and felt somewhat free. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes," came Tiffany's quiet reply.

Sephiran gestured for Kai to come into the room to relay to him the plans for the battle. When the two disappeared into the somewhat dark room and the doors behind them closed, Asami hurried to Tiffany. "What did he mean?"

Tiffany looked at her as tears swam in them. "It was the only way for them to be safe."

It all clicked for Asami, why Sephiran ordered Kai to remove the device from Tiffany's ankle, why he said she wouldn't go anywhere. "You didn't…"

Tiffany nodded, a tear escaping from her eye. Asami brought her daughter into a hug and ran her hand up and down her back to calm her trembling daughter. Overlooking the two, Mika stood in the hallway, wondering if what she did was the right thing.

* * *

Ryo stood outside on the porch, staring up at the sky. His eyes were narrowed, thinking about the fight that was coming up. Three days had come and gone, everyone training to gather up their strength to fight this new enemy. They knew if they lost, they would not just lose Tiffany, but possibly everything.

"Ryo?" He glanced back as Kayura walked up to stand beside him. "You've been out here for a while."

Ryo nodded, looking back up at the sky. "Just thinking. Everything boils down to this fight."

"Yes, it does." Kayura turned to him. "Do you think you're ready?" Ryo gave her a puzzling look. "I mean…once you go up there, there is no turning back. Everything will be decided on his turf, not yours."

"We had to go to Talpa's world two years ago to rescue Sage, Cye, and Kento and through everything we faced, we did beat him."

"Yes, you did, but this villain is different. I have a feeling he is planning a trap for us to walk right into. When I was under Talpa's influence, he didn't give you time to relax or train unless he was planning something."

"That doesn't scare us."

The others joined the two on the porch, all donned in their sub-armors. "Talpa didn't scare us away with his plans and neither will this new enemy," confirmed Kento and then punched his fist into his other hand. "And he'll pay for what he did to Tiffany."

"You guys ready to go?" Ryo asked them.

"We're ready," answered Sage.

Kalana and White Blaze walked up to the warriors with Mia and Yulie trailing behind them. Yulie held out the Jewel of Life. "I found this lying around, and I think this will come in handy."

"Thanks, kid," Rowen said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Don't do that!" pouted Yulie, fixing his hair.

"Great, he's picking up lessons from Sage," muttered Kento, earning some chuckles from the group.

"Be careful up there," warned Mia. "And come back safe with Tiffany."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," reassured Cye, giving her a small smile.

Kayura took the Jewel of Life away from Yulie's hands, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Yulie. This will help us in our fight." Kayura walked into the center of the backyard. "If you five are ready, then let's go." They nodded, walking over to Kayura, with Kalana and White Blaze close behind. She held up the Jewel of Life and it lit up, transporting them from the house to the world above.


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 17

A ball of light appeared outside the castle, becoming bigger until it dispersed, the six warriors landing on their feet. Casting their eyes upward, the castle loomed down at them, its evil presence surrounding the fortress.

"Looks the same," muttered Kento, never take his eyes off the building in front of him.

"No, it changed," Kayura answered looking around, distressed at how much this enemy has taken away from her work. The Nether World was a beautiful place, flowers were blooming outside, some natural light peered through the clouds, and while the castle kept its golden appearance, it didn't have a sinister look to it when Talpa was in control. But now, almost all the flowers were dead except for a few that were slowly withering away. The natural light that used to show was gone, replaced by dark clouds, making the sky look as if a terrible storm were to happen. The castle was no longer golden for black had overrun its colorful state. Basically, all the color was taken away from the Nether World and darkness overran the place.

"No armies to greet us at the door?" Rowen glanced around the castle, training his eyes at the tops of the walls as he waited for someone to pop out and start shooting arrows and throwing spears at the group.

The doors in front of them opened and the group prepared for a fight and just as they were about to call their armors, the doors fully opened. Nothing was there.

"Be on your guard," warned Ryo before taking a step through the doorway. The group of warriors slowly trailed alongside him, eyes scanning the area.

From atop of the wall, Kai watched the warriors walk further into the courtyard. He smirked and then glanced up at the castle looming over the warriors. _My Lord, they are here._

* * *

Sephiran chuckled as his eyes glowed red. "Excellent."

"What is it, Master?" Fuzen asked.

"The warriors are here."

The generals glanced at each other as bright smiles spread across their faces, the thrill of battle exciting them.

"Remember, my generals, you must do everything to get them to summon the Inferno armor." Sephiran stared each of them down, knowing full well their love of battle. "And you know what to do when that armor appears."

The generals bowed before Sephiran. "Yes, Master." They turned and started walking out of the room.

"Oh, one more thing." They turned to look at him. "Don't kill them." They nodded and walked out of the room.

Sephiran turned to Tiffany who was standing next to him. He got up from his seat and held his hand out to her. "I think it's time to go get ready for the main event, my dear." Tiffany walked over to him and Sephiran placed a hand on her back, leading her to their new destination.

* * *

The warriors were growing uneasy the more they walked. There was no way the enemy would let them just waltz into their territory, but it was more so the fact that no one had tried to stop them or anything.

Suddenly, Sage stopped where he was, craning his head to the side. He could have sworn he heard something just then but his eyes scanned the area, finding nothing.

"What is it, Sage?" Cye wondered, stopping to turn to him when he noticed Sage had stopped. The others had also stopped to glance back at him. Sage turned back to answer Cye, but his eyes widen. "Look out!" He pushed Cye to the ground and the others ducked as a sickle flew over their heads, barely missing Sage, piercing the ground behind the group. The weapon was pulled back slowly, the ground upheaving as it trailed back to its owner. It was pulled out of the ground and bits of dirt fell from the blade.

Malice stood before the warriors, grinning sadistically at them. He slowly spun the sickle in his hands as he stared them down.

"You're the one that first attacked us," realized Kayura.

"Yes, I am Malice," he answered, observing Kayura. "And you're the other Priestess."

"Where's Tiffany?" Ryo demanded.

"All in good time, Ronins," a new voice said. Two warriors stood on top of a wall, one wearing the armor of Illusion and the other wearing the armor of Venom.

"But where are our manners." The warrior wearing the armor of Venom bowed. "I'm Naga and my accomplice is Fuzen."

"And then there's me."

Kayura gasped in surprise, backing away from another warrior standing behind her. She hadn't noticed him creeping up behind for she was too focused on the warriors in front of her. The warrior behind her stared her down when a smile slowly crept across his face. "So innocent but deadly, just like the Priestess we have. Too bad I'm saving myself for her."

Upon hearing that, Ryo turned to him, giving him a death glare. "You touch her and you're dead."

The man chuckled. "Did I strike a nerve, little man? But alas, I was told not to touch the Priestess." He settled his gaze on Kayura. "Maybe I'll have you take her place."

Kayura backed up even further and Rowen and Sage moved closer to her, flanking either side of her.

"Karver," warned Malice, eyeing him.

"I can never have fun, can I?"

"You call that fun?" questioned Kento, clenching his hands into fists.

Karver looked at the warriors in front of him, amused that he got this reaction out of them. They all had pissed-off looks and it looked like they wanted to murder him for talking about their friend like that. If he could continue pushing their buttons, making claims of what he would to do to Tiffany, then maybe they would bring forth the Inferno armor.

"What's wrong with that? I like a challenge and the women have more of a …enticing quality about them."

Ryo glared at him then gave his friends a look which they nodded back in agreement. They called upon their armors, the rivers of cherry blossoms surrounding them felt foreign yet familiar at the same time since it had been so long since they had to call on their armors. With their armors on, the warriors drew their weapons, pointing them at the generals.

Kayura raised the Ancient's staff and a bright light came from it, surrounding the woman and replacing her clothes with her armor. Following the warriors, she took out her swords and pointed them at the generals.

"She fights too." Karver licked his lips then looked back at his comrades. "Her and the red armor are mine."

"Just remember what the Master said," warned Malice.

"I know." He waved Malice off. "I only want to have some fun." He took out his straight-back nodachi, the curved blade staring back at the warriors.

Kayura leaned over to Ryo. "I can go find Tiffany while you deal with them."

Ryo nodded to her plan. "Take Kalana and White Blaze with you."

"Got it." Kayura backed away and took off with the animals right behind them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Karver turned to her but Ryo jumped in his path, katanas drawn. "Your fight is with me."

* * *

From the safety of the castle, Sephiran and Tiffany watched the battle begin in the courtyard. He was amazed at the Ronins' skills and how they were handling themselves.

"They fight well against my generals," praised Sephiran. "I wonder how long it will last?"

A growl ripped through the air and Kalana came crashing through the ceiling, teeth bared and claws ready to tear him apart but Sephiran only side-stepped and kicked the animal away from him. White Blaze and Kayura appeared at her side.

"Why hello," greeted Sephiran. "I wasn't expecting any company until I came to join in."

"Let Tiffany go," Kayura demanded with White Blaze and Kalana growling in agreement.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I need her for something very important."

"I'm warning you now, demon."

"Demon? No, I think the word you're looking for is," Sephiran raised his hand. "Monster." Flexing his hand, black energy shot out and pierced Kayura and the animals, bringing them to their knees.

"What did you do?!" exclaimed Tiffany.

"They're only paralyzed. Besides," Sephiran turned to her. "I don't want them to ruin the special moment." He trailed his hand across Tiffany's cheek before turning back to the fight.

* * *

Rowen side-stepped as the spike ball pierced the ground he once stood. Malice rushed toward him and swiped the sickle at Rowen who dodged it at last minute. Rowen backed up, running into someone behind him. Glancing back, ready for a fight, he slightly relaxed when he saw Kento behind him. He turned back to Malice and placed an arrow in his bow, drawing it back, when Malice swung his chain at him. Rowen quickly raised his bow to block when the chain was intercepted by a nodaci. Sage stood in front of Rowen, blade held out in front of him.

"You two ok?" he asked.

"Hanging in there," came Kento's reply. "They are a lot stronger in this armor than the Warlords."

Cye slid in next to the group, hearing Kento's comment. "That's for sure."

"Having a team meeting over there?" Fuzen mocked. "Trying to come up with the best strategy to beat us?"

"Hope you have one ready," Naga commented as he spun a circle with his curved katanas. "Poison Storm!" He slashed through the circle and reddish-purple darts flung at the group and they jumped away, the darts piercing the ground and melting it on impact.

Cye held out his yari and energy flowed at the tip. "Super Wave Smasher!" He pushed his weapon forward, launching the sure-kill at Naga who crossed his katanas when the sure-kill struck him, pushing him back a few feet. Fuzen and Malice charged at the group, breaking them off into pairs. Malice fighting Rowen and Sage while Fuzen fought Cye and Kento.

Karver fought with Ryo, trying to push the boy to use the Inferno armor but Ryo wasn't budging. The fight was drawing on and Karver knew Sephiran was probably getting impatient. He had to start pushing buttons and the only way to do that was to threaten his love. Karver swung his nodachi at Ryo who blocked it with his katanas. The two struggled to push the other back with their strength but neither of them budged.

"Where's the fight, boy?" Karver challenged. "Don't you want to save your girl?" Ryo pushed him back but Karver pressed forward, his blade pressing against the katanas. "If you don't, who's going to save her from me?"

"Shut up!" Ryo screamed, pushing Karver back again. Karver stood back, smirking at Ryo as he spun his weapon.

"What's wrong? I'm only trying to get the best out of you. If you don't give it your all," Karver crotched into a fighting stance. "I'll claim Tiffany as my own."

Ryo charged at him and swung his katanas, the blades connecting as Karver tried to keep the katanas from his face. Staring into Ryo's eyes, he smirked at the anger placed on the man's face. _Just one more push,_ concluded Karver. His eyes darted to his comrades and observed them fighting off the warriors. He could tell they were struggling and Karver confirmed to himself that would-be Ryo's final push to get him to use the Inferno armor. Turning back to Ryo, Karver smiled cruelly at him. "Looks like your friends aren't doing so well, boy. They'll fail if you don't help them."

Ryo glanced over at his friends, noticing they were having trouble as Karver had pointed out. Everyone started out strong and could keep the generals at bay. But as Ryo stared at his friends, he could tell they were getting pushed back. He even noticed they were towards the back of the courtyard from where they all started out in the middle of the area.

"Tell me, Wildfire, are you going to bring out Inferno to save your friends?"

Ryo faltered his struggled for a moment, staring wide-eyed at Karver. How had he found out about the Inferno armor when they had never revealed it? At Ryo's shocked expression, Karver continued. "The Priestess can sing…once you push her to her limit."

Ryo's anger flared. "Your master said none of you would touch her."

Karver leaned closer to him until their faces were inches apart and whispered, "He lied."

That did it. Karver's lie had pushed Ryo to his breaking point and he wanted to end this fight, now. Releasing an angry scream, Ryo pushed Karver back with all his might, making the general stumbled back.

Sage glanced over at Ryo and the two met each other's gaze. With the look Ryo was giving, Sage knew the Inferno armor need to make an appearance. He looked at his other friends, calling out, "Form the Inferno!"

Kento, Cye, and Rowen sent their powers along withSage's over to Ryo. The four armor powers flooded through Ryo as his power mixed with the others. His armor started to glow and intense fire surrounded Ryo as the Inferno armor slowly took form.

* * *

Tiffany grimaced in pain when she felt the powers run through her body. Sephiran's eyes glowed red at this exchanged and raised his head to the ceiling. _My generals, send me your powers now_. Soon after, four different colored orbs flew into the room and surrounded the pair. Sephiran grabbed Tiffany's hands and she clenched them, focusing the power onto Sephiran. Energy sparked and crackled around them, Tiffany's hair-raising because of it.

Kayura could only watch in horror as a column of black smoke started forming around them. The smoke started to turn, rapidly spinning faster and faster until a tornado was formed in the spot Sephiran and Tiffany once stood. Wind howled violently around the area as energy flashed from inside the tornado. The storm of energy continued until it suddenly stilled and was then sucked in, forming a shape of a man. Tiffany stood in front of the mass, eyes squeezed shut and lips slightly parted as she fought to stay conscious. The nine powers of the armors flowed inside of her, threatening to consume her but Tiffany held it off, focusing on getting Sephiran what he wanted. The smoke started dissolving, revealing flesh. It traveled up the body to the head where the remaining smoke created a mass of hair on the top which laid on his head when it was finished.

Eyes snapped open, revealing deep sea green eyes. Sephiran took in a huge breath of his returned life and slowly let it out, a smile stretching across his face afterward. He raised his hands, turning them over as he inspected them. He lifted one arm into the air and spread out his hands then clenched it into a fist. Lowering his hand back down, he glanced at Tiffany who was staggering to stay on her feet. He reached out to steady her, slightly shocked at the feel of skin against his own. Twenty years spent in exile and a few weeks in an armored shell didn't do the feeling of his own skin against someone else's. His hand cradled Tiffany's cheek and marveled at the feeling of it against his own.

"Thank you, my daughter," started Sephiran. "For giving me my body back."

Tiffany didn't say anything, only glaring at him as she took deep breaths to keep herself awake. Sephiran looked over at Kayura and the two beasts lying beside her. As he walked closer, the animals barred their teeth but Sephiran paid no mind to them. He stopped right in front of Kayura and stared down at her. A smirk spread across his lips as he released the paralysis he had on her. "Come now, girl. Let's see what you can do."

Kayura launched herself at him, swiping her swords at him but Sephiran only dodged. He caught her by the wrist, giving her a smirk as he laid a finger on her forehead. An electric shock ran through Kayura's body and she opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. Her body went limp, held up by Sephiran's hold. He released her wrist and she collapsed to the ground, walking over to the two animals and did the same thing.

"You said…you wouldn't-"

"I didn't kill them, they're only unconscious. But I must say," He held up his hand and dark energy appeared in the palm of his hand. "It's great to have this power again." He flexed his hand and the energy dispersed, flying away until the matter disappeared into thin air. He turned over towards Tiffany. "Let's go tell your friends the good news, shall we?"

* * *

The flames that were surrounding Ryo died down, leaving him wearing his Wildfire armor. The others hadn't felt their powers come back and they were confused along with Ryo why the Inferno armor didn't appear. The generals shared knowing looks with huge smiles on their faces and put away their weapons. The Ronins were unsure of the generals' actions but held their weapons ready in case they pulled some trick.

A pair of footsteps echoed in the courtyard and the generals parted way for the newcomer, getting down on one knee. An older man stood in the path the generals gave him and he smirked at the Ronins, sea green eyes staring them down. His black hair was gelled back so it lay evenly on his head. He wore a dark blue robe and the outline of an armor could be seen underneath the garment.

"Greetings, Ronin," the man started. "Sorry it took so long to greet you but I had to…prepare myself."

"And you are?" demanded Kento, raising his naginata to point it at the newcomer.

"I'm the one who invited you here. I'm Sephiran, ruler of this new world."

"You're not going to take over our world," declared Rowen.

"Oh?" Sephiran chuckled. "And who's going to stop me? You five? You don't know who you're dealing with." Sephiran raised his hand and an energy ball appeared in it, growing bigger until it was two feet in diameter. He pointed at the Ronins and the ball hurdled toward them but before it could connect with the warriors, the ball disintegrated and Kayura, Kalana, and White Blaze collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Smirking at their shocked reactions, Sephiran snapped his fingers and the three bodies twitched before Kayura snapped her eyes open and took in a huge breath of air which sent her into a coughing fit. Sage knelt beside her to help her up to a sitting position as the two animals slowly got to their feet, shaking from the attack.

"You ok?" Sage gently asked.

Kayura nodded, her body shaking from what she had experienced. "I could feel it. His power."

"That is only a taste of what I can do." He flexed his hand as energy crackled around it. "And I would love to show you more but," the energy dispersed at the flick of his hand. "I did promise I wouldn't hurt you. Leave this place, Ronins, if not for your sake then for Tiffany's."

"What do you mean? Where's Tiffany?" demanded Ryo, taking a step towards him.

Sephiran stared at him for a moment before releasing a sigh. "I guess it can't hurt to let you talk to her one last time." He snapped his fingers and another energy ball appeared next to him, stretching out to his height before it dispersed and Tiffany collapsed to the ground. She struggled to stand up but slowly got to her knees before Sephiran grew tired of waiting and grabbed her by the arm, jerking her upwards. Standing straight, Tiffany peered to meet the gazes of her friends and they were shocked by how exhausted she looked.

"What did you do?"

"She's only tired from helping me. It was the deal we made anyway. In exchange for giving me my body back, I wouldn't harm you and…" Sephiran glanced down at Tiffany, waiting for her to finish.

"I said I would stay with him…forever," Tiffany quietly said but her voice carried so her friends could hear her.

"Tiffany, why?"

"It was the only way to keep you safe." Tiffany gave them a smile as tears formed in her eyes. "Go. I'll be ok."

Ryo stared at her as disbelief ran through his body. He knew Sephiran did something to make her agree to this deal and it had something to do with them staying safe from Sephiran. He couldn't leave Tiffany here with them, especially after seeing the grief and sadness displayed on Tiffany's face. Ryo wasn't going anywhere without Tiffany, not without a fight.

"I'm not leaving her," Ryo declared, crossing his katanas together.

"If you fight me, I'll break the deal with my daughter and everything she did to keep you safe will be for nothing."

"Ryo, don't!" Tiffany stared at him, pleading with him through her eyes to get him to reconsider. "Please, just leave."

"I'm not going anywhere unless you're by my side."

"How touching." Sephiran pushed Tiffany aside where Malice grabbed hold of her. He took out his dadao, the blade a quarter inch wide which at the end angled into a sharp point. He swished his blade to the side, the end pointed to the ground, as he stalked toward the group. "Get a good look on my daughter, Ronins, for this will be the last time you will see her." He raised his weapon and the blade grew darker, turning black with energy. "Demon Blade!" Swiping his sword across his chest, energy curving towards them as it struck the warriors head-on. They screamed in pain as they flew back a few feet. They slowly got to their feet when another wave of black energy hit them, sending them back again. Cye and Kento landed on the wall, leaving an indent of their bodies while the others lay scattered beneath them. Sephiran raised his dadao again, ready to finish them off for good. "Good-bye, warriors."

"No!" Tiffany freed her hand from Malice's hold and held it out towards her friends. Power expelled from her open palm, light loping around the warriors, Kalana, and White Blaze. Sephiran stared at this in shock then turned to look at his daughter, surprise on his face at seeing this power come from her. Shocked also by what happened, Tiffany knew this would be her only chance to get her friends to safety. With a flick of her wrist, the light around her friends shown brighter until it vanished, taking the group with them. Sephiran seethed at this and fully turned his attention to Tiffany as he tried to quench the anger boiling inside of him.

"My dear, where did they go?"

Tiffany stared at him and a smirk spread across her face. "What? I was only completing the deal you made."

"That was not your decision to make."

"Really?" Tiffany reached behind her to grab hold of Malice. "Then you're not going to like what happens next." Sending the new power through her body, Tiffany sent over to Malice and he screamed when the bright light evaded his body. The body he had taken over was slowly working its way out and Malice tried with all his might to keep it down but the bright light and the will of the soul won itself over as the light devoured him whole.

Anubis snapped his eyes open, surveying the area when he realized he was holding onto Tiffany. She smiled at him when the effects of this new power took a toll on her body. Exhaustion hit her body and she would have fallen to the ground if not for Anubis's hold on her. Worry formed on Anubis's face as he stared at her. "Are you all right?"

Tiffany nodded weakly. "Just tired."

"Anubis?"

Heads turned to see Mika standing in the courtyard next to Asami, her eyes wide with shock. Seeing Anubis, alive and well, only a few feet in front of her was like a dream. There was no way he was alive; she was told he was dead! She cast her eyes over to Sephiran as she waited for an explanation, a reason as to why Anubis would be standing here. Sephiran stared back, trying to come up with an excuse when Anubis spoke first. "Maria? Is that you?"

Realization came upon Mika and her shock turned into anger. "You lied to me. You used me, just like Talpa did!"

Sephiran glanced at Kai and nodded his head. Kai turned to Mika, hand raised as he quietly chanted a spell but before he could complete it, Tiffany sent out light to Mika, enveloping her in light as she disappeared from view. Turning to Anubis, Tiffany grabbed hold of his hand, staring into his eyes. "Find the others and be safe." Before Anubis could respond, he disappeared from view. Tiffany was left lying on the ground and she looked up when she heard footsteps stalking towards her. Sephiran stood over her and she could the rage wafting off him and onto her. He lifted her up the ground and then slammed the hilt of his sword against Tiffany's head; his angry face being the last thing she saw.


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 18

On the outskirts of Toyama, a bright light dropped to the ground which revealed Mika. She looked around her, trying to familiarize herself with her new surroundings when a bright light showed next to her. Anubis appeared and he glanced over at her before looking up to the sky. She followed his gaze and saw dark clouds started to cover the sun, slowly forming and heading towards Toyama. Anubis turned back to Mika. "We need to go find the Ronins." He started walking away but halted when Mika didn't follow him. "Maria?"

"Don't call me by that name," Mika announced, hanging her head in shame. "That person is gone. It's Mika now."

Anubis walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mar-Mika, you didn't know."

"That's just it!" Mika took a step back as her eyes bore into his. "I didn't know! I believed in them just like I believed Talpa was right, only realizing what I've done when it's too late." She shook her head and brought her arms up to hug herself. Her shoulders shook as she tried to keep the tears at bay. "I did this. I separated Ryo and Tiffany, got the guys fighting against each other, brought Tiffany to Sephiran to get his body back." A sob escaped from her throat. "I became my father." Mika hunched forward, falling to her knees as the tears steadily ran down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep the pain away but it didn't work, it only increased.

Anubis stared in shock at his old friend as he listened to the soft sobs coming from her. He walked forward then knelt in front of her, reaching out to lay his hands on her shoulders. Mika glanced up and stared at him with tear-filled eyes.

"I don't know what your life was like before Talpa kidnapped you, but I know it wasn't good. However, you are nothing like your father, and Sephiran tricked you just like Talpa did. You just have to tell the warriors this."

"They won't listen. They didn't last time so what makes you think they will this time?"

"Because Tiffany saved you." Mika stilled at Anubis's statement. "If she didn't trust you or thought you were the enemy, she wouldn't have transported you away with me. That alone shows the warriors you are not the enemy."

"Do you really think that will work?"

Anubis didn't respond at first for he too didn't know if the warriors would accept her again. From what Mika had confessed to him, she had put his friends in a lot of pain and Tiffany was now in the clutches of this new enemy. However, in order to beat him and rescue Tiffany, the warriors needed all the help they could get. "I don't know, but we have to try. Plus, I'm not leaving you alone here."

Mika smiled at him then stood up, wiping away the tears, rubbing her eyes to stop them from falling. "Ok, let's go find them."

* * *

Tiffany's head wiped to the side, already feeling the bruise that was to form. She glared up at Fuzen who was standing over her, his closed fist ready to strike her again when ordered to. It had only been a moment after Tiffany regained consciousness when she was punished for her actions. Her body ached from the various punches and kicks thrown at her body and Sephiran had put the device back on her ankle to keep her from using her powers. Since she was still too weak from the acts she committed and the throbbing in her head from Sephiran, Tiffany could only take the punishments from the generals.

"This is your final warning, my dear," Sephiran called from his seat on the throne. Tiffany turned and glared at him from his place, Kai and Asami on either side of him. "Disobey me again, and you'll experience my full wrath."

Tiffany spat at the ground which earned her another punch to the face. "Watch your actions, girl," threatened Fuzen.

"Now then, it's time to gather my army." Sephiran stood up from his throne, turning to Kai. "How are my people doing?"

"Still stuck in their stony prison, my Lord." Asami snapped her head towards them, eyes wide with terror.

"Good. I need new recruits. Show me the village." Kai's eyes glowed white and a blue sphere formed in front of Sephiran, revealing the image of a small village with the villagers turned to stone. Asami gasped as she realized what Sephiran was planning on doing. "You can't," she whispered.

Sephiran turned to her and gave her a smirk. "I can, and I will." Extending his hands, black mist formed out and went into the sphere. The mist descended over the village and it surrounded the stoned villagers. The stone started moving, all traces of the villagers' humanity were gone. The stone was their armor and they all gathered in the center of the village, waiting for the command of their Master. "I am Sephiran, your new Lord, and leader. Go into the city and use the new powers I bestowed upon you to transform anyone that gets in your way to join my army. And if you find anybody in a mystical armor," Sephiran made eye-contact with Tiffany before saying, "kill them." The army roared and marched forward, their armored feet echoing throughout the land.

"You monster!" Asami screamed at him, tears streaming down her face. "They were your people! Your friends and family!"

Angry sea green eyes flared onto Asami. "Friends? Family?" Sephiran slowly walked towards her and Asami started backing up. "The ones who betrayed me and sealed me away? Those people are no longer of value to me but they have served their purpose. But if you want," Sephiran held out his hand and black mist swirled around it, "you can join them."

"Leave her alone!" screamed Tiffany, lurching forward but was held back by Fuzen. Sephiran turned to her, waving his hand and the mist disappeared. He walked up to her and knelt, staring into her eyes. "I'm curious, why did the powers of the nine armors go into you and not me? I was certain I would gain more power but you were the one that received it. Why is that?" Tiffany didn't know herself so she didn't say anything, only glaring daggers at the man in front of her. Sephiran chuckled at the fire burning in Tiffany's eyes. "Such fire burns in you, but with that fire comes disobedience." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "You were just like me when I was younger."

Tiffany stared at hand on her cheek then quickly turned her head and bit his hand. Sephiran screamed in pain, jerking his hand away from her mouth. "I'm not like you and I'll never be like you!" Tiffany's eyes flared with hate which added fuel to the fire in her eyes. "I'd rather die than submit to you." Silence filled the room; Asami staring at her daughter in horror while the generals glared down at Tiffany. Naga raised his hand to strike but Sephiran held his arm out, stopping whatever Naga had planned. Sephiran stood up, all the while keeping eye-contact with Tiffany. "I see now that I need to take what I want. I was going to take your new powers as painlessly as possible but with the fire that burns in your being, I know I need to extinguish it before I can do anything else." Sephiran turned to Karver, knowing he can trust the task he was about to assign to him to get the job done. "Break her."

Karver smiled. "With pleasure." He roughly grabbed hold of Tiffany and dragged her from the throne room as Tiffany fought with him to get out of his grasp. Once they were out of his sight, Sephiran turned to Fuzen and Naga. "I'm going to connect our world to the human world. When that happens, take my army and capture as many people as possible. We need to add more soldiers if we want to conquer more land."

Naga and Fuzen bowed. "Yes, Master."

* * *

"Damn it!" Kento screamed, turning to punch a tree, the leaves on the branches shaking from the impact. "That son of a bitch got the better of us! I swear, if I ever see him again, I'll-"

"Stop it, Kento," ordered Rowen from his place on a rock. "There is no way we are of any match against him now. You saw what he was capable of."

"He's right," Kayura said from her spot next to him as she finished healing him. "He would have killed us if Tiffany didn't intervene. We owe our lives to her."

Sage stood up from healing Cye and addressed the group. "Our main priority is to free Tiffany from Sephiran's clutches. With the power she displayed, Sephiran is going to want it from her and will do anything to get it."

Ryo stared at him then glanced down, Karver's words ringing in his head. _"Don't you want to save your girl? If you don't, who's going to save her from me?"_ Ryo clenched his hand into a fist and squeezed his eyes shut. _I'm sorry, Tiffany. I couldn't…I wasn't…_

Something nudged his hand and Ryo opened his eyes to find Kalana staring at him, sad eyes staring into his. He gave her a small smile and laid his hand on the wolf's head, gently rubbing it. He glanced back up at his friends, surveying the damage they had inflicted. They were lucky; it could have been a lot worse. Their group arrived in a forest which so happened to be the same forest that surrounded the cabin. Of course, they had to figure out which way the cabin would be and the only clue they got was they were on a hill overlooking the city. But for the past few minutes, the group was taking their time resting as Sage and Kayura healed everyone from the battle.

Cye met Ryo's gaze. "What do we do now?" Ryo stared at his friends who were staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"We need to go to Mia and Yulie and make sure they're safe," Ryo answered as he stood up. "We don't know what Sephiran is planning nor when he's going to strike next."

"Um…I figured out the later," Kayura called out, staring through the trees. The rest of the group followed her gaze, seeing a black mist swirling over the city, descending like a tornado. The mist grew in size until it swallowed up the whole city, cutting it off from the rest of the world. From the sky, clouds parted to reveal the castle as it sat upon the top of the mist which had created a dome over the city.

"It's Talpa all over again," commented Kento, releasing a huff.

White Blaze's ears twitched and he turned his head towards the forest. His eyes were alert, looking for something he had heard. Kalana listened in as well and in the distance, heard the sound of footsteps. They were heavy and didn't sound human. They weren't getting close to their group but way they were going…

Kalana immediately took off without warning. "Kalana!"

"Something's wrong," stated Sage as White Blaze turned to look at him, almost confirming the young man's statement. The tiger took off after Kalana and the warriors followed suit.

* * *

Mia sat in the living room, reading a book to keep her mind at ease. She couldn't do anything but wait and pray her friends will come back safely. Yulie was in the family room and she heard the slight noise of him playing a video game. She was happy he could distract himself unlike in the past when he kept on asking her if the guys were ok. _He has matured a little bit in the past two years,_ Mia thought to herself as she turned the next page.

Suddenly, the noise from the other room stopped and Mia lowered her book, about to get up to check on Yulie when he asked, "Do you hear that, Mia?"

Before she could respond, she faintly heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside. She slowly stood up and glanced out the window, her heart stopping when armored soldiers marched down the street. She backed up, taking the hallway away from the windows to the other room where Yulie was. He turned his head to look at her when she came into the room.

"Mia, what-"

"Shh. Keep your voice down," she whispered, walking over to him. She had lowered herself almost to the point of crawling so as not to be seen by the army outside.

"What's going on?"

"Something's wrong and I have a feeling we can't be seen. We need to get away from the windows." They slowly moved out of the family room into the dining room, straightening themselves up when they got into the kitchen. Mia lead themselves to the door of the basement but stopped when she heard something fall over downstairs. She pressed Yulie against the cabinet and thought of her next place. She peered around the corner look at the front door near the stairs. Seeing nothing at the front, she lowered herself to the ground and motioned for Yulie to do the same thing. They made their way to the stairway leading upstairs as Mia kept her eyes on the door the entire time. Once they were at the stairs, Mia pushed Yulie in front of her and motioned for him to go upstairs. She was about to follow him when she heard footsteps walking up the stairs from the basement. She hurried on up and made it to the top stairs just as the door to the basement flung off its hinges and onto the kitchen table.

Two soldiers walked onto the floor, surveying the area around them. They made eye-contact and their eyes glowed blue as they communicated with one another. They then nodded and slowly walked around the floor, checking every nook and cranny to see if anybody was in the house. They arrived at the bottom of the stairs and one soldier gestured upstairs with his spear and the other nodded in agreement. They climbed the stairs and once at the top, they split up to cover the top floor.

Mia and Yulie huddled together in the closet of the master bedroom, trying to hide in the corner. They heard footsteps enter the room as the soldier walked around, searching for them. Mia held Yulie closer to her as the young boy trembled in her arms. She herself tried to stay calm but her heart rate increased when the footsteps started coming closer to the closed door. The light coming from underneath the door disappeared and they both knew the soldier was right in front of the door. Hand on the doorknob, the soldier started to turn it when a noise was heard from downstairs.

The soldier stopped his actions and walked out of the room and met the other one at the top of the stairs, peering down. Thinking that they missed someone, they headed downstairs, weapons ready in their hands to strike. They walked into the kitchen but nothing was there. Suddenly, the basement door levitated in the air and the soldiers stared at it in confusion when it flew towards them, knocking them on their backs. Before they could get to their feet, a blade separated their heads from their bodies and the stoned soldiers crumbled in tiny pieces.

Mia and Yulie heard the commotion downstairs but didn't move. They didn't know who was downstairs or if the soldiers were even gone at all. Footsteps were heard walking upstairs and into the room, stopping in front of the door. It was flung open but they relaxed on who was on the other side.

"Anubis," Mia breathed out, a smile on her face. "Thank goodness it's you."

"Are you two alright?" he asked, helping them to their feet.

"We're fine. The soldiers?"

"They're gone." He stepped aside to allow them to get out of the closet. "We took care of them."

"Who else is here?"

"An old friend." The trio walked downstairs but at the sight of the other person, Yulie froze.

"Hi, Mia and Yulie," greeted Mika, offering them a small smile.

"What is she doing here?" Yulie asked, stepping back then turned to look at Anubis. "Did she brainwash you and are now taking us to the bad guy?"

"Yulie, what are you talking about?" Mia asked him.

Pointing at Mika, Yulie said, "She's the one who kidnapped Tiffany."

"What?" Mia looked up at Mika then turned to Anubis before looking back at Mika. Feeling unnerved, she grabbed Yulie's shoulders and took a step back.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not brainwashed. Tiffany was able to set me free and she saved this young girl like the Ancient One saved me." Mika met Anubis's gaze, wondering why he told them this lie instead of telling them the truth.

"So, she's one of the good guys now?"

"Yes. Now we need to go. Who knows if those soldiers will come back? Plus, we need to find the warriors."

"What do you mean find them?"

"The warriors are somewhere around here and who knows if another attack has been planned."

"Have the guys…lost?" Yulie asked, staring up at Anubis, hoping that his heroes haven't perished in the battle they went to fight.

"No…but they didn't win either. All I know is that they are still alive and," Anubis released a shaky breath. "The enemy has the upper hand."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Karver pulled Tiffany alongside him through the castle, grunting at her attempts to free herself. He liked her fiery spit but this was starting to annoy him so he picked her up and throw her over his shoulder, smiling at her screams of protest. He turned a corner and stopped in front of a door, pushing it open. Doors lined either side of the room and the smell of mildew infiltrated his nose. He walked down the hall, passing by the doors until he came to one with no viewing area on the door. He pushed that door open and tossed Tiffany onto the ground.

The floor was filthy and Tiffany could feel the dirt sticking to her hands. She heard water dripping from the corner of the room but other than the light coming from the open door, she couldn't see what else was in the room. The light from the outside slowly narrowed until a loud thud echoed from the closed door. Tiffany blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness that surrounded her.

"You know what I like about this room?" Karver's voice sounded from the room. Tiffany turned towards the entrance, thrusting her hand out, expecting him to be there, but felt nothing. A sharp pain slashed across her arm and Tiffany released a surprised scream. Her hand went to her arm and felt something wet against the palm of her hand, already knowing she was bleeding. A kick to her back pushed her down on her stomach. "The darkness makes it easier to hide, making my victims wonder what's going to happen to them next." Chuckles echoed throughout the darkened room as Tiffany slowly got to her feet, trying to locate Karver. "I don't think I told you, you could get up, little girl." A punch was thrown to her gut, making Tiffany gasp in pain before another punch hit her face, forcing her back to the ground.

Tiffany's hand moved to her stomach, trembling as she sat back up when a foot pressed on her back, pushing her back down. She felt the weight shift on her back and felt Karver pressing himself on top of her, his breath on her neck. "You know," he whispered. "I could take you right here and now." He traced his hand up and down her hip, smiling when he felt Tiffany jerk underneath him. He leaned in closer to her, his ear right next to hers. "But no matter how much I want to take you, I can't right now. You're not…ready yet." Tiffany relaxed slightly but tensed when she felt Karver's lips on her cheek. "But don't relax now, my dear. I will claim you." His hands trailed down her hip and towards the front of her kimono. "And I will claim this as well."

Tiffany grabbed his hand, pulling it away before he could touch her. "You will _not_ claim _anything._ "

Karver chuckled. "We shall see, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek again before thrusting her to her feet, hoisting her arms up above her head. Tiffany felt chains wrap around her wrists and then heard a click from them. Karver stepped away from her and Tiffany could barely touch the floor, her toes just lightly grazing the floor. She heard jingling from the corner of the room when a light turned on. Tiffany rapidly blinked to adjust to the brightest and when she could properly see, she saw Karver standing in the corner, looking down at something. He turned towards her and her heart stopped at what he was standing in front of. A table with various weapons was displayed for his amusement. Knives, belts, gauntlets, whips with various spiked ends, a rod which Tiffany suspected sent an electric shock, but the one item she couldn't take her eyes off was a metal poker, one end formed a sharp point while the other end had Karver's initials.

"Don't worry." Tiffany looked back at him and his smile darkened, showing off his teeth. His eyes lit up in excitement and Tiffany trembled at that stare. "That little number won't come after I've claimed you. I just want to show you my toys. Now," Karver picked up one of the whips which separated at the end into spiked tendrils. The lights went out again, leaving Tiffany in darkness. "Let's have some fun." She felt the whip against her back and a scream escaped her lips.

* * *

Kalana hurried through the forest with White Blaze right beside her. The warriors trailed behind the two animals as they lead them to their destination. Kalana suddenly stopped, her claws digging into her ground to stop herself as dust picked up from behind her. White Blaze came up beside her as the warriors stared at her.

"Did she find something?" whispered Rowen.

"Don't know," Ryo answered, staring through the trees. They heard footsteps approaching their spot and Kalana lowered herself to the ground, ready to pounce when she straightened herself up. She darted out of the trees and a surprised grunt was heard and White Blaze went into the clearing.

"White Blaze!" Yulie's voice exclaimed through the trees which relaxed the warriors. They came out of the forest to see Yulie with his arms around White Blaze and Kalana on top of someone, her tail wagging a mile a minute.

"Let him breathe, Kalana," Mia laughed, gently pushing the wolf aside. The animal obliged and Anubis sat up, scratching the wolf's neck. "Good to see you too."

"Anubis?" Kayura gasped with wide eyes. "But how?"

"Tiffany," was his answer as he got to his feet. "She saved me from what took over my body."

"Wait, so if you're here, that means there's one less general to deal with," stated Sage.

"Which also means the generals have taken over the Warlords' bodies," added Rowen. "Now we know what really happened to them."

"Are you ok?" Kayura asked Anubis, laying a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at her then rested his hand on top of hers. "I'm fine, Kayura."

"What happened that got you and the other Warlords' possessed?" Cye asked.

As Anubis told his tale, Mika stood back in the trees, not wanting to reveal herself just yet. She knew if she walked into the open, all hell would break loose especially with Kento present. Speaking of Kento, where was he? Mika searched the group for him when she felt a presence from behind her. She turned around but she was slammed into a tree, an arm held up to her throat.

"What are you doing here?" snarled Kento, his eyes boring into hers. "Come here to spy on us? Report to your master what we're doing?"

"Kento, what are you doing?" Cye called from clearing.

"Taking care of a traitor."

"Wait-" Mika let out but was silenced by Kento pressing his arm further into her throat. "Shut up. I don't want to hear anything else from you."

"Stop," Ryo commanded, stepping into the area.

Kento turned to him but kept his hold on Mika, not letting her go. "But Ryo-"

"I want to hear what she has to say."

"You want to listen to her," added Anubis. "It isn't what you think."

Kento huffed but released his grip, allowing Mika to get away from him. She rubbed her throat and released a cough as she glared at Kento.

"What are you doing here?" Ryo started and Mika turned her gaze towards him. "Decided to try and see if you can break our group up again?"

"No. I…I don't actually know why I'm here," admitted Mika, looking away and towards the ground. "I was sent here."

"By whom?"

Mika paused before answering, "Tiffany."

The wind howled in the area, the only sound filling the silence that was bestowed upon the group. The guys shared questioning looks, wondering why Mika would be here because of Tiffany.

"It's true." The group turned towards Anubis. "I saw Tiffany envelop her in a light before she did the same thing to me."

Kayura looked back and forth between Anubis and Mika before settling her eyes on Mika. "What did you do to want Tiffany to save you?"

Mika shook her head. "I don't know. I saw Anubis after Sephiran told me they were dead."

"What else did Sephiran tell you?" Cye gently asked.

"He told me that Tiffany was a temptress and she had you five under a spell and that she was trying to bring Talpa back to life. She had killed the Dark Warlords and you didn't even know what was going on, oblivious to what Tiffany was trying to do."

"Why did he tell you this information? Why were you so important?"

Mika stared at each one of them then took a deep breath and answered, "Because he knew I could get close to you guys for how I knew you five in the past." At their confused expression, Mika announced, "I'm Maria."

Silence filled the area. "There's no way you can be Maria," muttered Kento.

"Ask me something then. Something only Maria would know."

"Who was the first person you saw when we separated?" Sage asked.

"Ryo found me and then we came across Cye."

Ryo and Cye nodded in confirmation. The guys stared at Mika, all shocked by this. Their friend they saw die by Talpa two years ago was standing not two feet from them. it seemed impossible but here she was.

Kayura looked back and forth between the group and Mika. She was lost at what was going on and when Anubis saw her puzzled expression, he leaned over to her. "Mika once served Talpa but her original name was Maria. She was sent to learn the secrets of the Ronin Warriors but changed sides after being with them for a bit. She was killed by Talpa because of her disobedience. Apparently, Sephiran brought her back to life to make her do his deeds." Kayura stared at him with wide eyes then turned back to Mika, her eyes softening at her. So much pain for such a young woman. She was reminded of herself and how she was taken and forced to serve Talpa. "I'm sorry," Kayura started and all heads turned to her. "I too was forced to serve Talpa, not able to see the right until I was freed by Tiffany."

"But you were brainwashed," Kento said. "You weren't able to act for yourself. Someone forced you to do it, unlike some people." He turned to glare at Mika who flinched under his gaze.

"No, it's the same," input Rowen and both of them turned to him in shock. "Mika was told to do this just like Talpa did. Only this time, Mika thought we were in danger and thought she was doing the right thing."

"It doesn't explain what she did to us, to Ryo and Tiffany," said Sage.

At his comment, Mika addressed everyone. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I've done." Mika turned her attention to Ryo. "I'm sorry for what I did to you and Tiffany. I don't even know why she saved me."

Ryo stared at her then released a sigh. He wanted to scream, shout, anything to get rid of this pain inside of him. But if Tiffany was able to forgive him for what he did because of the influence he was under, then so should her.

"I won't forget what you did." Mika nodded in understanding, lowering her gaze to the ground. "But I forgive you." She snapped her attention back up to him and gave him a small smile. It was a start but she knew the other warriors would take a while to forgive her, especially Kento, but since she hurt Ryo the most, it was good that he forgave her.

"What's the plan?" Sage asked Ryo, changing the subject.

"We have to go in," answered Ryo as he turned towards the direction of the city. "If Sephiran has a force field over the city, then he doesn't want anyone to enter or leave."

"There was an army that passed by the house," input Mia. "I'm pretty sure it was headed towards the city."

"If we follow them, they could lead us to an entrance to get into the city," suggested Rowen.

"We could," Cye said, turning to him. "But what if they get in and we can't? We could get ambushed and it wouldn't be a good idea to have Mia and Yulie with us when that happens."

Kayura opened her mouth to suggest an idea when her staff lit up, the rings clanging against each other. She turned her attention to it along with everyone else. She closed her eyes, a hand hovering over the rings as she listened.

"What is it, Kayura?" Anubis asked her.

"The Ancient's power," she said, her eyes still closed as they narrowed. "Someone else is using it."

"Tiffany?"

"No…it's someone from within the city." Kayura opened her eyes and turned to the group. "Someone else who has the same power I possess."

"It's Iris," realized Sage. "She told us the Ancient One was her husband and that she was the Priestess before she left. She works in the mall now."

Kayura glanced at him. "It's possible that I can connect with her and teleport us all to her location."

Ryo nodded. "Try it and see what happens."

"Ok." Kayura held the staff up and closed her eyes again, concentrating to reach Iris.

* * *

Iris walked the hallway of the mall, checking in on everyone. It had been almost an hour since the attacks started and when Iris sensed an evil presence enter the world, she immediately went into action and encased the whole mall in a protective seal. The evil ones wouldn't be able to sense them nor see the location of the mall. It would seem as if there is nothing there and only people with good hearts will see it once they cross the barrier. From inside the mall, they could see what was happening but no one else from the outside world would until they came into the barrier. So, when the attacks started, many people flooded into the mall and were amazed none of the soldiers followed them in. Iris took charge, using the stores as places for people to rest and the food court for people to get rations. The store that had mattresses would only be used for people who were sick, injured, or elderly. Everyone else was provided with a blanket or a pillow to sleep on the floor.

Iris walked into the food court and up to one of the cooks. "Do we have enough food to last a while?"

The cook sighed. "With the number of people we have in the mall and depending on if they will start a riot or not, I'd say about a month. It's a good thing all of us got a shipment of food today before all of this started for then we would have run out in the next day or two."

Iris nodded. "Ok." She patted his arm and then walked away.

 _Hello? Is this Iris I'm speaking to?_ Iris stopped in her tracks and looked towards the ceiling. "Yes, who is this?" She ignored the people around her asking her if she was all right.

 _My name is Kayura. I'm the leader of the Ancient's clan. I'm with the Ronin Warriors now, trying to think of a way to get into the city. But I could teleport all of us there if I can connect with you._

Iris sighed in relief. "Yes, that would be great. I was able to seal the mall away so no one with an evil heart can find it."

 _Good. Let me know when you are ready and I'll see what I can do._

"Ok, let me find an area and I'll let you know."

"Miss?" Iris looked down at a little girl standing next to her, holding onto a stuffed animal while staring up at her with big blue-green eyes. "What are you doing?"

Iris smiled at the little girl and knelt in front of her. "Communicating with someone who can help us."

"Really?"

She nodded and smiled brighter when a smile spread across the little girl's face and hope appeared in her eyes. The girl then turned and ran to her parents, probably to tell them the good news. Iris chuckled at the girl's eagerness and then walked away, looking for a big enough space for everyone to arrive in. She climbed the stairs and stood in front of the movie theater, looking around to see how big the area was. _This should be good enough_. Looking back at the ceiling, Iris called out, "Kayura, you still there?"

 _Yes, Iris. Are you ready?_

"I am."

 _Ok, I'm going to focus on your location and you try and sense for me._

"Got it." Iris closed her eyes, stretching her power out and feeling for a new one. She felt the presence of the people in the mall and the evil presence surrounding the city but nothing new to her until felt something similar to her power. Reaching out to it, the presence ran through her being, connecting herself to the new power. She held on to that connection until she sensed the presence right in front of her. Opening her eyes, she saw the Ronin Warriors along with two animals and some people she didn't recognize. Well, all except one.

"You," Iris stated, glaring at Mika. The young woman took a step back from Iris's heated gaze. "What are you doing here? Only people with good hearts can enter this area."

"Long story short, she was forced to work for Sephiran under lies he told her about Tiffany," explained Ryo.

"Sephiran? Is that who is controlling the city?"

At his nod, Iris glanced around the group, a puzzled look on her face was something, or someone, wasn't here. "Where's Tiffany?"

Ryo tensed at her name, clenching his hands into fists. Kayura glanced over at him before stepping forward and addressing Iris. "Sephiran has her." Iris let out a gasp. "And we need to know what is going on before we can do anything."

"All right. I don't know what this Sephiran has done but I'll do my best to explain what has happened." Iris proceeded to tell the warriors what happened and from what people from outside have told her.

"They were rounding up people?" Kento asked after Iris had finished her explanation.

"Yes, and those lucky enough to escape are either hiding in here and trying to stay hidden within the city. I don't know what is going on, but I fear for them."

"We'll do a patrol, see what is going on outside and tell any survivors to come here," stated Rowen, turning to Ryo for his approval.

"The five of us will go," confirmed Ryo. "Kayura and Anubis, stay here with Mia, Yulie, and Mika."

"Be safe out there," called Mia.

The five warriors walked away from the small group and towards the entrance of the mall, ignoring the whispers of people towards them but that was because of armor they wore and the two animals walking alongside them. They walked outside the mall and stood in their spot, surveying the area around them. The sky was dark, almost black and the city was empty. It was like a ghost town again, just like when they first fought Talpa. The guys shared a knowing look; they weren't going to like what they saw.


	20. Chapter 20

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 20

Asami walked through the halls of the castle, her head lowered as she kept her eyes focused on the ground as she was walking. Her footsteps echoed throughout the halls and, when she reached the dungeon, she stopped to glance out of a small window which overlooked the courtyard. What was once barren was now filled with soldiers marching around, pushing the kidnapped people of the city to their destination. Asami placed a hand on the windowsill, releasing a loud sigh at the sight in front of her. If she had been braver, would all of this have been avoided?

A scream ripped through the air which sent a chill down Asami's spine. Asami turned around and set her eyes on the door. She opened it and walked through the dungeon, the screams getting louder and turning into wailed cries. Stopping in front of the door, she jiggled the handle only to find it was locked. The screams stopped and labored breathing along with whimpers came from behind the door.

"Whoever is there, go away," came Karver's voice. "I'm busy."

Asami's heart stopped when the screams started again. She started banging on the door, trying to break it down. "Stop!" Asami screamed as her daughter's cries stabbed her heart. "You're killing her!"

"Go away, wrench! I know what I'm doing."

The screams persisted and Asami stared at the door in horror, wondering what tortures Karver was doing to Tiffany. When the screams increased in intensity, Asami turned around and ran out of the dungeon, slamming the door to the dungeon shut behind her. She leaned against the door and her body trembled, not in sadness or fear but in rage. Tears threatened to stream down her face but ignoring all of it, Asami pushed herself off the door and started running towards the throne room. She didn't care if she got in trouble for entering her husband's chambers without permission, but she wasn't going to stand by and ignore the fact her daughter was being tortured.

Bursting through the doors of the throne room, Sephiran and Kai turned their attention away from each other, shock and anger present on their faces.

"Asami, what-"

"You need to stop Karver," Asami stated, interrupting what Sephiran was going to say.

Sephiran narrowed his eyes at her. "Why should I? Tiffany was being disrespectful and she needs to learn her place in my kingdom."

"By killing her?! If Karver continues to torture Tiffany, she'll die from everything she's endured! Do you not see what you've done?!"

"Silence, wench!" scolded Kai, glaring at the woman. "You do not question the actions of my Lord!"

Sephiran held up a hand to him, silencing whatever else Kai had to say to Asami. "Go to Karver and tell him I wish to speak with him. I will let him know how to take...better care of our daughter." Kai glanced over at Sephiran in shock, surprised by his Lord's sudden change of heart.

Asami relaxed, a smile spreading across her face. "Yes, thank you." She left the room and Sephiran waited to speak with Kai until the doors were closed. "Send word to Naga and Fuzen and tell them to come back to the castle."

"What about the Priestess, my Lord?"

Sephiran looked at him, a smile spreading across his face. "For now, let's give her a little break."

Kai bowed. "Yes, my Lord."

* * *

Naga and Fuzen walked around the city with an army of soldiers marching behind them. They had nabbed most of the people in the city but were making rounds to be sure there weren't any survivors hiding throughout the city.

Naga turned to Fuzen after an hour of walking. "Don't you think we have enough people?"

"Getting bored, Naga?" Fuzen glanced over at him and smirked when Naga looked away. "No." Fuzen chuckled. "We'll do one more patrol and then head back."

The army continued their march around the city, eyes alert for anything that might pop out at them or any sounds they might hear. As they walked closer to where the mall would be, the army walked through a street with stores on both sides.

Naga walked near the stores when he heard something fall in one of them. He walked closer and heard the distant sounds of whimpers. Smiling at his discovery, he signaled Fuzen over and waited till his comrade was over before bursting down the door. Screams of panic were heard and Naga smiled at the family of four huddling in the corner. An older woman held two young children while a man stood in front of them. "Stay away," declared the man but Naga detected a hint of fear in his voice. Naga walked up to the man and backhanded him across the face, sending the man flying into the wall.

"Akio!" the woman cried out and Naga turned to her and was surprised when she pushed her children behind her, glaring at the general. "Leave us alone, you demon!"

"My, my, what a temper. Don't worry, you'll be with your children. Your husband…" Naga trailed off and nodded to Fuzen and the general ordered the soldiers to grab hold of the unconscious man in the wall. "Will be serving your new ruler." Soldiers came over to the three and grabbed hold of the woman and her children.

"Someone will stop you," spat the woman as she was dragged out of the store. "You will pay for what you've done!"

"Who's going to stop us?" Naga laughed at this woman's antics then gestured to the soldiers. "Take them back to the castle."

Before the soldiers could follow his order, arrows rained down on them, killing some of the soldiers and freeing the family. Two roars ripped through the air as Kalana and White Blaze came charging in, pouncing on the frozen army.

"Attack, you idiots!" exclaimed Fuzen, brandishing his weapon.

"Thunder Bolt Cut!" A wave of light slammed into the general, sending him flying back. Naga started taking out his katanas when he heard rustling behind him. "Super Wave Smasher!" A column of water slammed into his back and could do nothing as a building rapidly approached him. The building crumbled underneath the force of the sure-kill and Cye hurried over to the family. "Is everyone alright?"

The woman nodded then gestured over to a man. "My husband."

Cye glanced over at him before slightly nodding. "We'll help him, but you have to get out of here." He gathered her and her children and lead them over to White Blaze.

"Wait, my husband-"

"We have to get you and your children to safety first." Cye stared into the woman's eyes, trying to convey to her the urgency of the situation. The woman stared at him then glanced back over at her husband.

"We'll get him, I promise, but you need to go."

The woman nodded. "Ok."

"What about daddy?" her youngest asked, tears welling in the child's eyes.

"Daddy will join us soon." She smiled at her child. "I promise."

Cye turned around and met Rowen's gaze, giving each other a nod. "Let's go." Cye took off with White Blaze and Rowen followed close behind.

Naga watched them go and narrowed his eyes, taking out his katanas to follow them, but Kento jumped in his way. "No, you don't. You're staying here."

"Get out of my way, boy," Naga spat, charging at him. Kento blocked his attack with his naginata, pushing the general back. Kento spun his weapon and pointed it at Naga. "You're not getting them."

"Like how I got your little friend." Naga grinned when Kento's face displayed anger, knowing he had hit a soft spot. But he needed to press harder for as he glanced around, their army was slowly dwindling and Fuzen was battling Ryo and Sage. It wouldn't be long until there were only the two generals left against three warriors. Glancing back at Kento, he said, "Give a message to your friends. Tell them the Priestess is getting _very_ comfortable with Karver."

Kento froze and Naga used this opportunity to strike, knocking him back. He started going after the people that got away when Kai's voice rang through his head. _"Naga, Fuzen, Lord Sephiran demands you return to the castle."_ Naga looked back at Fuzen and watched as he was able to get away from the two warriors. The two then vanished, returning to their master.

Sage hurried over to the man on the ground and checked his pulse.

"How is he?" Ryo asked once he got over to them.

"He's alive but unconscious." Sage glanced up at Ryo. "We should take him to Iris."

"I got him," Kento replied, hosting the man over his shoulder. Ryo stared at his friend, noticing he looked like he had seen a ghost. "You ok?"

Kento contemplated telling Ryo what Naga had said, but he didn't know if Naga was telling the truth. But he knew, in his gut, that Naga wasn't lying just to get Kento's attention off the general. While that might have been his plan, Kento could tell that wasn't the case. But if Ryo knew what was happening with Tiffany, Kento knew Ryo would start blaming himself or possibly explode in anger.

"I'm fine. We should probably go. That family is waiting for him." Kento started walking back to the direction of the mall.

Ryo and Sage shared a look, knowing their friend was hiding something, but they decided to let it go and follow Kento back to their place of sanctuary.

* * *

Karver marched to the throne and his face displayed irritation. It hadn't been that long since he had the Priestess and he was already called back to his master. Whatever it was, it had better be good.

He pushed open the doors to the room, the doors banging against the wall. Fuzen and Naga turned to him, shocking Karver. "Aren't you supposed to be in the city?" He asked as he slowly walked over to stand beside them.

"Master Sephiran called us here," answered Naga. "And just in time. The Ronins had ambushed us."

"What?!" Kai's voice rang. "How did they get in the city?!"

"Or maybe they never left." Eyes turned to Sephiran. "Remember, my daughter sent them out. She could have put them in a place we don't know of."

Karver bowed before Sephiran. "Master, give me a little more time. I'm sure I can have the Priestess-"

"No."

Karver froze then slowly lifted his head to look at his master. "No?"

"Karver, we're going to try other methods for my daughter." Sephiran turned to Fuzen and Naga. "With your added efforts, I think she will break faster instead of only having one person. You saw the fire in her eyes and Karver," Sephiran looked back at him. "You know it would have taken you longer to break her than your normal victims."

"I…I understand, Master."

"What would you have us do?" Fuzen asked.

"Use the powers of your armors and give her a taste of what happens if she doesn't submit. Leave her to suffer alone for a few days and see if she submits if you have to."

The three generals turned each other, smiling at the thought of all three of them torturing the Priestess.

"We'll have a lot of fun with her, Master. We promise we'll have her submitting to you after we're done with her."

Sephiran nodded. "Just make sure she doesn't make a lot of noise. I don't want Asami coming back in here and pleading for my daughter's life again." They nodded in understanding and then he waved his hand, signaling to them to leave his presence. The generals bowed before Sephiran then turned around to leave the room. Karver led the way to the dungeon where he kept Tiffany and when he opened the door, he stepped aside to let Fuzen and Naga look at her.

Tiffany hung from the chains around her wrists, her head laying against her chest. Various cuts lined her body as blood ran from her wounds, creating a pool underneath her feet where the blood dripped from. The kimono she used to wear was almost torn to shreds, the garment hanging from her body. Tiffany slowly raised her head, her eyes narrowed at the presence of the generals.

"You made quick work, Karver," praised Fuzen, walking into the room. "I'm impressed."

"She was in your hold for what? An hour?" Naga asked, turning to look back at him as he stood in front of Tiffany.

"More or less. I only got to use two of my toys before I was called away."

Fuzen whistled in approval and walked around Tiffany, stopping to stare at her mutilated back. Angry, deep wounds covered her back, but with all the blood seeping down her back, he couldn't tell if her whole back was ripped to shreds or if some wounds were bleeding heavily. "What else should we do to you?" he muttered, laying his hand on Tiffany's shoulder which made the young woman flinch.

Naga stared at Tiffany when an idea came to him. He motioned for his comrades to come closer and the two huddled around him as he laid out his plan to them. Tiffany stared at them while she tried to calm her trembling heart. What were they going to her? What torture would they inflict upon her?

Chuckles escaped from the men and then turned to her with wide smiles on their faces. Naga walked towards Tiffany as Karver and Fuzen parted for him. "I think you should know, Priestess, that your friends are in the city. We don't know how they got in the city nor do we know where they are. So, it'll make it easier for all of us to tell us where you sent them."

Tiffany lifted her head, meeting his gaze as she said, with a little difficulty, "I'm not telling you anything."

Fuzen and Karver looked at each other and Karver walked over to the still open door as Fuzen moved to stand behind her. Naga only smiled as he reached behind him to take out a katana and the blade gleamed at her, reddish-purple liquid forming at the tip. He walked towards her as Karver slowly closed the door.

Tiffany was submerged in darkness again as Fuzen grabbed her hair, forcing her head back as she felt the tip of the blade lightly graze her throat before it trailed over to one of her wounds. The tip of the blade was inserted into the wound and pain exploded in her shoulder as Tiffany screamed in pain. Something was shoved into her mouth and tears welled in her eyes as she was forced to suffer the amount of venom running through her body. She felt the sword in another one of her wounds and an image of a snake biting into her flesh ran through her mind. She could feel the snake slither over her body and coiling around her limbs.

"Where are the Ronins?" Karver demanded.

Tiffany shook her head and pain exploded in her hip, making her release a muffled scream. Tears ran down her face as more venom pumped into her system. The chains jerked at her movements to get away, but they wouldn't budge. This continued for who knows how long. Karver demanding where her friends were and then more venom inserted into her body when she didn't answer. Her body burned and Tiffany thought her body was on fire at one point.

Suddenly, everything stopped when she felt a pain surge up her body and out through her wounds the venom was inserted. Tiffany threw her head back, screaming in pain, as the generals laughed at her.

The pain left her body and Tiffany breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath despite the gag in her mouth. The gag was removed and she let it a huge gasp of air, releasing short bursts of air afterward.

"Are you going to tell us where the Ronins are?" Karver asked from somewhere in the darkness.

"I don't know where they are," answered Tiffany, her voice shaky. Something entered her side and then a punch was thrown at her face.

"Don't lie to us," growled Fuzen. "You were the one that transported them away."

"I don't know where they would end up." Tiffany was silent, only quiet breaths were heard from her as she waited for the generals to do something in the darkness. She heard shuffling around her and knew they were in front of her. A hand was placed underneath her chin, lifting her head up. "You're such a good girl, telling us this information," purred Karver as his lips pressed against hers. Tiffany squeezed her eyes shut as she fought herself not to gag at his touch. "Now, submit to Master Sephiran."

"I'll do no such thing."

Karver chuckled as he kissed her again. "Wrong answer, sweetheart." The gag was forced back into Tiffany's mouth and something pricked the side of her neck. Pain swelled through her body, not like the last pain she experienced but enough to cause discomfort. Shuffling was heard again and the door opened, the light blinding Tiffany a bit. Karver and Fuzen left the room but Naga stayed behind, standing in the doorway. He turned to her and gave her a cruel smile.

"I think a few days alone with venom in your system will change your mind." He laughed at the expression on Tiffany's face. "It won't kill you, but more like you've been stung and the pain will never go away. The pain will increase as time goes on, but I'll make sure to come back before you die from it." Naga stepped into the hallway, slowly closing the door behind him. He left it cracked open before saying, "After all, Master Sephiran still wants your powers." He closed the door, locking it up, leaving Tiffany to suffer in the dark, alone.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kayura walked with Iris through the mattress store, tending to those who were sick or injured. Iris turned to give medicine to a small child when White Blaze ran into the store with the woman and her children on his back. Some of the patients screamed in terror while others only froze in fear of the tiger not too far from them. Kayura walked over to the tiger and helped the people off his back. "Are you alright?" she gently asked.

"Yes," answered the woman.

The youngest sniffled as she said, "Daddy got hurt."

Kayura frowned then knelt in front of the child, giving her a soft smile. "It's going to be ok. I bet your daddy is strong, right?"

"Yeah," piped up the older one, giving his sister a reassuring smile. "Dad is stronger than anyone."

"Yeah…but-"

"Iris!"

The group snapped their attention to the entrance where Kento walked in with the man over his shoulder. Iris walked over to one of the empty mattresses, patting it with her hand. "Bring him here." Kento carried the man over to the mattress and laid him on it. The man groaned in response as Iris checked him over for any injuries then spotted a bump on his head. She placed a hand on his head, closing her eyes as she willed some of her power into him to heal the man. Suddenly, the man opened his eyes and raised a hand to his head. He started to sit up but Iris pushed him back down. "You need to rest," Iris gently ordered. "You've been through a lot."

"Where's my family?" the man demanded, turning to look at her. "Are they ok?"

"Akio." The man looked past Iris to see his wife and children standing behind her. The woman smiled then hurried over to him, kneeling beside the bed as she ran her hands over his face. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? Is anything broken?"

"I should be asking you that," answered Akio, but he nodded at her questions. "I'm fine, Nami." He pulled her in for a kiss then turned his attention to his children, bringing them into hugs.

"I want you to stay here overnight." Iris straightened up. "Just in case something happens."

"Thank you," whispered Nami, smiling at Iris.

Iris smiled back and then nodded her head. She turned around, noticing Kento had a grim look on his face. He glanced over at her and gave her a smile when Iris gave him a worried look. He walked out of the store and his friends gathered around him.

"Are you ok, Kento?" asked Cye, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You look troubled."

"Did they say something to you?" Sage asked.

Kento looked at him before stealing a glance at Ryo before nodding. He took a deep breath, his hands forming into fists as he remembered Naga's words. "He said that Tiffany was getting…comfortable with Karver."

The guys were stunned by Kento's words and Ryo took a sharp intake of breath before turning around and walking away. No one followed him, and as Ryo walked away, he passed by Anubis, Mia, Mika, and Yulie.

Yulie smiled at Ryo, going over to greet him, but stopped at the look on his face. He went to go after him but Mia laid a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head at him. Anubis walked over to the guys as Kayura walked up to them. "What happened?"

As Kento explained to them what happened, Mika turned around to face the way Ryo went. She slowly backed away and then headed back when no one noticed her.

* * *

Ryo leaned against the wall, his head lowered until his chin was touching his chest. He was trying to calm himself down from having an outburst after the information he heard. White Blaze and Kalana were next to him for they had followed him after what Kento had told them. Kalana turned to look up at him before laying her head across his feet. Ryo looked at Kalana, smiling slightly at her before releasing a deep sigh.

Footsteps were heard and the three looked up to see Mika slowly walking up to them. The two animals stood up from their spots, staring at her as she approached. They were still unsure about her and didn't know if they could trust her or not.

"I heard what Kento said about Tiffany," she started. "Again, I'm so sorry about everything."

Ryo stared at her before pushing himself off the wall. "Why? Why did you believe them?"

"Ryo, I loved you and I still do. I just…I thought I was doing the right thing." Mika took a step closer to him but stopped when Kalana crouched down, ready to pounce on her. The young woman stared at the wolf then glanced up at Ryo to meet his stern glare at her. "If I could take back everything I did to you two, I would. I never ever wanted to hurt you."

"You should have thought about that before you did what Sephiran asked of you," a new voice said and Mika spun around to find Kento glaring at her, with the others standing right behind him.

"What's up?" Ryo asked, uncrossing his arms.

"We have a plan," spoke Rowen, walking over to him. "We want to run it by you first."

"I can help you," Mika said, hope in her voice. "I've been around the castle and I-"

"I think it would be better if you just stayed here with Mia and Yulie," interrupted Sage.

"But I-" She stopped at the cold looks from Kento and Sage and looked at everyone else. Cye and Rowen only stared at her while Ryo refused to look at her. Mika nodded in confirmation and then walked away. After she was gone, Cye turned to the group.

"We should give her a chance," he said. "She does regret what she did to us."

"This is the second time she's betrayed us and this one was worse than before," explained Kento, throwing a heated glance at his friend. "I think she's had her second chance."

"But she was tricked just like Talpa tricked her."

"Plus, would Tiffany have saved her if she didn't trust her?" input Rowen.

Everyone went silent at his statement, thinking over what had happened. They knew Tiffany wouldn't save anyone who was evil unless there was a reason. With Mika, if Tiffany sent her away from Sephiran with Anubis, then Mika wasn't as bad as they thought. Her past ran through each their heads, especially Ryo's. She was the one who confided in him, trusted him with everything that she said.

"Everything ok over here?"

Five heads turned to Kayura, standing a few feet behind them with Anubis.

"We're fine, just talking about our next move," answered Sage.

"Oh, good. I have some information for you." Kayura walked closer to the group. "I need to go back to my village. The make-shift infirmary we have is getting too crowded and my people have healing items to help the injured people. I have to go to my village to prepare the people and make a pathway between here and there."

"Are you going to leave now?" Sage asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, the sooner I go, the sooner I can make the link. Besides, once we rescue Tiffany, she is going to need the medicine we have." Kayura made eye-contact with Ryo. "If I wait here till we get Tiffany, who knows what condition she'll be in or if we'll even have time."

Ryo's eyes widen slightly. He took a deep breath and released it, nodding his head. "I understand."

Kayura removed the Jewel of Life from its place around her neck, holding it out to them. "I will leave you with this. It may come in handy against fighting the generals and Sephiran."

Rowen took the jewel from her grasp, giving her a slight nod in thanks. Kayura nodded back to him then turned to Anubis. "You should stay here and give them an extra hand."

"Are you sure?" Anubis asked, staring down at her.

"I'll be fine. The village is under the same protection this mall is so Sephiran won't even know I'm there."

"Ok, be safe."

Kayura gave him a soft smile then turned to the warriors. "Good luck and be careful." She raised her staff and it glowed, teleporting her out of the mall and back to her village. Once she was gone, Ryo turned to Rowen. "You said you had a plan?"

"Yeah, I noticed earlier there was a column connecting the castle to the city. I bet that is how we can get into the castle."

"Wouldn't it be guarded?" Cye asked him.

Rowen shook his head. "I don't know. I was thinking we could send a few of us to go out and look."

"That sounds like a good idea," answered Ryo, nodding his head at Rowen before addressing the group. "Three of us will go check the castle while the rest of us will stay here."

"Maybe it will be a good idea to try and talk to Mika about her experiences in the castle," suggested Cye. "She could fill us in on some information she got from Sephiran."

"I can talk to her," offered Anubis. "She may be comfortable talking to me."

"Same here."

"Ryo, you should stay too," Sage said but when Ryo opened his mouth to protest, he continued. "I know you don't want to, but Mika confided in you once. She may do it again."

Ryo stared at him, knowing he was right, but he also knew this was an observing mission, which meant no fighting. He turned to Kento, staring him down. "Can I trust you won't do anything stupid?"

Kento was taken back by Ryo's question. "What? You don't trust I can keep myself from attacking soldiers?"

Everyone, including Anubis, turned to Kento, raising their eyebrows like they couldn't believe he had asked that question. At their look, Kento released a sigh. "Yeah, I know, stupid question. I won't do anything stupid."

"We'll make sure," added Rowen, "that he knows not to fight anyone that comes out."

"Take Kalana with you guys," Ryo said, laying a hand on the wolf's back. "Just in case." The wolf nodded her head at Ryo and then walked over to Sage, Rowen, and Kento, standing next to Sage.

"We'll scout the perimeter and then come back to report what we've found," said Rowen.

The guys bid each other good-bye and good luck, and then Sage, Rowen, Kento, and Kalana walked away from the group. Cye turned to Ryo and Anubis. "Let's go see what Mika can tell us."

* * *

Tiffany hung from her wrists, her body twitching every so often from the venom running through her body. She didn't know how long she had been here in the darkness. The pain had gotten worse as Naga had said, making her think she's been in here for more than a day.

The door jiggled and then opened, the light from the hallway blinding Tiffany. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the spots flying through her vision as Sephiran stepped into the room. Leaving the door open, he walked over and stopped right in front of her. He didn't say anything, only stared as Tiffany glared back at him, but the pain made it hard for her to keep the glare on her face. Sephiran reached out and placed his hand on the side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"The pain must be excruciating," he started, "all that venom in your body. I can take it out if you'll only agree to follow me and give me your power."

Tiffany opened her mouth to speak but a whimper of pain came out. She squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth as the venom surged through her, quiet whimpers escaping her.

"My poor dear." Sephiran placed his other hand on Tiffany's cheek. She opened her eyes, struggling to keep them open as she glared at Sephiran. "Your poor mother would hate to see you in so much pain." Tiffany's eyes softened at this. "Just give yourself over to me and the pain will stop."

Tiffany swallowed the lump in her throat. "Go…to…hell."

Sephiran's eyes darkened, removing his hand from Tiffany's face. His hand clenched into a fist then he raised it and punched Tiffany in the face. Her head swung to the side, tasting blood in her mouth. Sephiran wrapped his hand around her throat, raising her up a bit.

"You'll regret that, my dear." He tightened his hold and watched Tiffany struggle to catch her breath, her face turning red. She gasped, her legs wildly flailing to try and get Sephiran to release his hold, but his body was just out of reach. Her vision blurred both from lack of oxygen and from the tears in her eyes. Sephiran only smiled as her movements grew weaker.

"Sephiran!"

He turned around, keeping his grip on Tiffany's throat, and set his sights on Asami, who had a look of horror on her face. "What are you doing?!"

Sephiran didn't answer but released his grip. Tiffany took in a huge breath of air as her body sagged against her restraints. She breathed heavily, her vision focusing on the ground as it slowly cleared up. Sephiran then walked out of the room, his shoulder bumping into Asami on the way out.

Asami watched him leave and then hurried over to Tiffany, cradling her daughter's head in her hands. "What have they done to you?" Asami looked over her daughter, her body trembling in anger from the bruises and cuts all over Tiffany's body.

"Mom?" Tiffany slowly asked, raising her head to look at her.

"I'm here, sweetie." Asami smiled, brushing hair out of Tiffany's face. "I'm here."

Tiffany winced and Asami stilled her actions. She looked Tiffany over, spotting a puncture wound on the side of her neck. The area around it was red and blood slowly oozed out. Asami gently laid her hand on Tiffany's neck, light engulfing her hand. Tiffany felt the light enter her body and then the pain slowly went away until it was a dull throb.

"There." Asami drew her hand away and focused on another part of Tiffany's body to heal.

"Mom, you have to go," Tiffany stated.

"No, not until I heal you eno-"

"No. I mean you need to leave this place. Get away from Sephiran."

Asami stared at her in disbelief then slowly shook her head. "No. No! You expect me to leave you here, knowing that those people will continue to torture you?" She glanced up and reached for the chains around Tiffany's wrists. "If I'm leaving, I'm taking you with me."

"Don't, I'll only slow you down." Asami looked back at her, slowly lowering her arm. Tiffany gave Asami a small smile. "Plus, if Sephiran or the generals were to catch us, they'll punish you as well. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt by trying to help me escape."

"But if I heal you, then we could escape together."

"Then you would have no energy for you'd have spent it all on healing me."

Asami racked her brain, trying to come up with a solution for both her and Tiffany to leave together, but came up blank. She knew Tiffany was right, but the thought of knowing what could happen to her…Asami glanced away from Tiffany, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay.

"Mom." Asami turned back to her, tears filling her eyes. Tears filled Tiffany's eyes as well as she stared at her mother. "Please, just go."

Asami wrapped her arms around Tiffany. "I will be back with help."

Tiffany leaned her head against her mother's, whispering in her ear. Asami gave her a gentle squeeze and then stepped back. She cradled her cheek and smiled, the tears spilling over. "I love you, my dear."

Tiffany's voice cracked as she said, "I love you too, Mom."

Asami dropped her hand and backed out, grabbing the door handle and closing the door. She hesitated at the door, hand still on the handle when she heard Tiffany's soft crying from the other side. Asami held her hand over her mouth as more tears ran down her face. She released the handle and took a few steps back, staring at it for a moment. She turned away and hurried out of the hallway.


	22. Chapter 22

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 22

With the cover of the darkness around them, the three warriors crept through the city as they made their way to the outskirts of the castle. The closer they got, the more they saw the entrance that Rowen was talking about. Sage glanced back at Kento and Rowen, directing them to one of the buildings. They hurried inside and climbed a few stairs until they got to a height to inspect both the entrance and the area surrounding it.

A large, black column hovered in the center of the buildings surrounding it. The column levitated just inches from the ground and it spun slowly. It reminded the warriors of a tornado, but the structure didn't move from its current location nor was it windy. Sage surveyed the area around the column, taking note of soldiers patrolling the surroundings but never leaving sight of the column.

"Guards," he mumbled.

Rowen nodded. "I see at least ten, but there may be more hiding in some of the buildings." He trained his eyes upwards, trying to see if there were any in said buildings.

"Sephiran is better at keeping security than Talpa."

"He was more of an ambush type," agreed Kento. He turned to look at Sage. "Now what? Do we go back and tell the others?"

"No. We have to see how they get in. That thing is not touching the ground so how do they get in and out?"

Just as Sage voiced his concern, a group of soldiers marched into the area and towards the column. One by one, they each stood underneath the opening of it and were sucked up into it to be carried towards the castle.

"Now we know how it works," commented Kento, backing away from the windows, "Let's head back."

Sage turned away from the scene to glare at Kento. "We're not leaving after one occurrence. We need to keep surveying the area and looking for weak spots in their defenses."

"But if we could sneak in somehow without getting caught, then we would be in the clear."

"We don't know how their defenses are once we get into the castle. We could get captured right when we get in. We have to see how they are out here and then check in with the others with what they've learned from Mika."

Kento crossed his arms over his chest, bringing his gaze down to the ground. "What do you guys think about her?" When no one spoke, he raised his head back up to look at them. "I mean, can we really trust her again after what happened? One time is bad enough but twice?"

"She's punishing herself already," added Rowen. "She's apologized to us so many times. Plus, haven't you seen the crushing look she has on her face when she does."

Sage released a sigh, nodding to what Rowen said. "I think she really didn't have any idea what was going on." Kento opened his mouth to reply but Sage cut him off. "I mean, put yourself in her shoes. She is brought back from the dead by a person she doesn't know and is told the people she aligned herself with are in danger."

"Wouldn't she at least have questioned them about their ways? Or how they went about to try and split the group apart?"

This brought Sage and Rowen to think about Kento's question. Rowen glanced out the window and noticed that someone had come out of the column and his eyes widen. "Is that…"

Sage and Kento walked back over to the window and looked at what Rowen was looking at.

* * *

Asami dropped onto the street, her eyes scanning the area around her. The soldiers stopped to stare at her for a moment before going back to surveillance. She slowly started to walk away from the column, keeping her eyes set on the path ahead. She didn't make eye contact with any of the soldiers nor did she look back. If she showed any suspicion to the soldiers, they might start following her. Asami was just about a few ways from escaping into the buildings when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. A hand clamped down on her shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

Asami quickly turned, hand raised towards the person behind her and her palm lit up with a bright light. She launched it at the person behind her and a scream of pain was heard. She felt the hand lift of her shoulder and she started running. She could still hear the person screaming and quickly looked behind her to see Naga with his hands over his eyes, his face raised to the sky. Asami saw the soldiers gathering around him and turned her attention back in front of her.

"Get her you imbeciles!"

Asami heard the soldiers running after her and she picked up her pace, running as fast as she could to get away from the hoard following her. Then, a group of soldiers blocked her path which made her stop in her tracks. She surveyed the area around her and then heard a chuckle. Turning around, she saw Naga stepping through the crowd of soldiers, still rubbing his eyes from the earlier attack. "Very clever. If we weren't alerted of your disappearance, we would never have realized you escaped."

"I had to get away," Asami answered. "You think I would have continued to stay at a place I didn't believe in?"

Naga sneered at her. "You don't get to make the decisions, lady. You will come back and do whatever Lord Sephiran demands of you."

Asami stood her ground. "I would rather die than go back to that place of suffering."

"Have it your way." Naga took out his katanas, his sneer turning into an evil grin. "I am going to enjoy this."

An arrow pierced the ground between Naga and Asami. Naga glanced up to see Sage, Kento, and Rowen standing on a patio of a building beside them. Kalana growled menacingly at the group and Rowen had another arrow locked on them. "Move and I fire," warned Rowen.

Naga laughed at him. "I'm not afraid of you, boy. Besides, you're not of my concern now. This woman," he pointed at Asami, "disobeyed my Master and she needs to come back and face her punishment."

"She's coming with us," Sage declared, brandishing his nodaci.

"Come and get her then. I'm not afraid to get a little blood on my hands. Actually, let's play a little game. Whoever gets to the woman first wins." Naga crouched. "Go!"

Right as Naga took off towards Asami, Rowen released his arrow as Sage and Kento jumped down to fight the army.

"Now this is more like it," Kento commented, taking out his naginata. He blocked Naga from going any further as Sage stood in front of Asami.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Yes," Asami answered, nodding her head. "Thank you."  
"Don't thank us yet," said Rowen, landing behind her. He knocked another arrow into his bow and aimed it at the soldiers. "We still have to get out of here." He pulled the arrow back. "Arrow Shock Wave!" He released the arrow and the energy around it transformed into a comet. It destroyed a large portion of the soldiers, making Naga glare at the Ronin. He turned to the remaining soldiers. "What are you standing around for?! Get them!"

The army responded by charging towards the Ronins with Kento and Sage fighting them off and Rowen standing next to Asami, defending her for anyone that got near. Naga tried to sneak around to capture Asami, but Sage stood in his way.

"Get out of my way!" Naga charged at Sage, but Sage blocked his attack.

"You're not getting past us," Sage declared, pushing Naga back. He flashed his nodaci at Naga, almost daring the general to try again. Naga grit his teeth, thinking of a way to get past him.

"Iron Rock Crusher!" Naga watched as Kento launched his sure-kill at the soldiers, and then fought off the small clump of soldiers left.

"It's over Naga. Give up."

Suddenly, a horn was blown, and a smile slowly spread across Naga's face. Rowen looked across the way to see a lone soldier blowing into his horn. He shot another arrow at him, killing it before the soldier could sound another alarm.

"You're too late. I'll have reinforcements here soon enough and you'll all be prisoners."

Sage turned around to face Rowen. "Get her to safety."

Rowen nodded and started leading Asami to safety. Naga watched them go, snarling as he swung his katanas around. "You're not going anywhere. Poison Storm!" He sent the sure-kill towards Rowen and Asami, the latter of whom saw the attack coming. "Look out!" She pushed Rowen out of the way which put her in the direct line of the attack. She screamed as the attack struck her and poison seeped through her wounds. She landed a few feet away from Rowen as the warriors gazed at her in horror. Her body twitched and Asami struggled to get up, ultimately deciding to stay down.

Naga's laughter rang through the air, swinging his swords to prepare for another attack. Before he could launch it, Sage raised his nodaci and it started to glow, filling the area with bright light. Naga shut his eyes, thinking it was another attempt to blind him, when he heard, "Thunder Bolt Cut!" He opened his eyes to see a powerful beam of light heading straight towards him. He didn't have enough time to move out of the way as he took the full force of the attack. He was flown back a few feet as his screams rang out over the roar of Sage's attack.

When he was gone, the three warriors hurried over to Asami to check on her. Sage laid a hand on her, a light green glow surrounding her body. Asami felt the pain slowly leave her body, but when the glow disappeared, she could still feel pain as she moved to get up. She felt unsteady on her feet and Sage steadied her, noticing her slight sway.

"We'll take you to Iris. She'll see what she can do to help you."

Asami nodded as Kalana came up next to her, letting the woman get on her back so she didn't have to walk.

Kento suddenly heard marching in the distance and turned around, his eyes widening. "Guys, we got company." Sage and Rowen turned around to see an army marching forward with Fuzen in the lead.

"Let's go." Sage took off with the others following behind him.

Fuzen saw them running and started to run after but stopped when he realized it would be a futile effort. He cursed under his breath and turned around back to his army, where two soldiers were helping Naga up.

"Get off me!" He snapped, shrugging away their help and then looked at Fuzen. He pointed at Fuzen, his hand shaking from the anger within his body. "That boy…and that woman will pay dearly."

"You'll get your chance, but I'm sure Master Sephiran will want to punish his wife instead of you."

Naga muttered under his breath making Fuzen roll his eyes. "Are you that upset about not punishing the woman?"

"No, I'm worried."

Fuzen raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because he's not going to be happy that we let the woman get away." Naga walked back to the castle with Fuzen and the rest of the army following suit.


	23. Chapter 23

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 23

Mika sat in the food court, observing the people around her. Some families sat in little groups, keeping each other close while some were trying to get their minds off the situation at hand by talking about everything but the ongoing attacks. She saw children running around and playing with each and she knew their parents probably told them to play so they wouldn't be scared. She sighed, bringing her knees to her chest and laying her head on her arms. Mika knew that if she didn't follow Sephiran in the first place, none of this would have happened.

"It's not your fault."

Mika looked up to see Anubis sitting down next to her. Anubis gave her a small smile, but she turned away, lowering her head back on her knees. "You know this is because of me. The guys know it, too, for they want nothing to do with me. They all hate me for it."

"They don't hate you."

"Yes, they do."

"No…we don't."

Mika snapped her head up to see Cye and Ryo standing in front of her. Cye offered her a smile while Ryo remained stoic. White Blaze came up behind them and laid down at Ryo's feet, keeping his eyes on Mika.

"But…"

Cye moved to sit down on her other side. "We were shocked to discover what you did, some more than others, but we don't hate you for it. It's more of a…misunderstanding."

Mika stared at him for a moment before turning her gaze back to her knees. "What do you want?"

"You know the layout of Sephiran's hideout," Ryo started, sitting down across from her.

"You want information, I suppose." Mika glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes. "But why should I help you when you've been assholes to me?"

Anubis laid a hand on her shoulder. "Mika, please. Tiffany needs help."

Mika thought about it for a minute before she shrugged. "It's nothing different. It's the same as when Talpa was in charge."

"Do you have an idea of where they're keeping Tiffany?" Cye asked.

"Sephiran put her in a padded cell, but he might have put her in the dungeon after she helped all of you escape. He wasn't too happy with her after she did that."

Cye glanced at Ryo. "If we can get in, Sage, Kento, or I could lead us to the dungeons. That's where Talpa first had us before he put us in those statues."

Ryo nodded. "When Rowen, Sage, and Kento come back with how to get in, we'll come up with a plan of attack."

"Be careful," warned Mika. "Sephiran will have guards everywhere. I'm almost certain he'll have an army waiting for you once you get in."

"We've faced off an awaiting army before."

"No, you don't understand." Mika made eye-contact with Ryo and Cye before continuing. "Talpa may have ambushed you, but Sephiran doesn't wait around. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. If he used me to get in-between all of you, then just imagine what he'd do to make sure you don't get Tiffany."

Ryo and Cye shared a look and then turned to look at Anubis, who stayed silent throughout the conversation. "We might have to be wary when we go to attack," Anubis said. "If what Mika says is true, we may have a tough battle ahead of us. Plus, it'll be harder to get Tiffany than rescuing Cye, Kento, and Sage."

"We'll find a way," declared Ryo. "The odds were against us when Sage, Cye, and Kento were taken and we beat them. We can do it again." He turned to Cye and his friend nodded in agreement.

White Blaze suddenly raised his head and looked towards the entrance. He saw Rowen, Sage, and Kento had come back with Kalana behind them. He stood up, gaining the attention of the group.

"What is it, boy?" Ryo wondered, turning to look at where the tiger was looking and saw a wisp of blonde hair as Kalana walked by. Ryo's attention focused in on the woman as he slowly got up and started walking in the direction the group went. He saw them heading into the make-shift infirmary and picked up his pace, almost running to his destination. When Ryo entered the place, he saw Sage standing next to Iris with the woman sitting on the bed. He couldn't see if it was Tiffany or not, but he still had hope. He hurried up to them as Rowen and Kento came up to him, but he stopped when Iris moved out of the way, revealing the woman to be Asami.

"I want you to stay here for the night," Iris told Asami. "Just to see if the poison is still lingering in your body. If you're still sore after that attack, I'm not sure if everything is gone."

Asami nodded and then looked over at Ryo, noticing the distraught look on his face. She realized he thought it was Tiffany who was here. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I didn't mean to get your hopes up."

"Don't apologize," Rowen answered for Ryo. "Tiffany would be happy that you got out safe."

Asami swallowed the lump in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. "She would have been here if I was stronger."

Ryo stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"I was going to get her out of there, so we could escape together, but she told me to leave her. I was able to alleviate some of her pain before I escaped." A few tears escaped from her eyes and Asami hastily wiped them away.

"How…how is she?" Ryo dared to ask.

Asami shook her head which made Ryo freeze in his place. He knew it wouldn't be good, but he still wasn't prepared for the answer. All different scenarios ran through his head of the state Tiffany could be in and all of them involved her in a near death state.

"I think Tiffany knew neither of you were going to make it out if you tried and helped her," stated Sage.

Asami nodded. "She was also worried that, if I had stayed any longer, Sephiran would have gone after me to try and get her to submit to him."

"That bastard," snarled Kento. "Going after his own wife to try and get his daughter to listen to him."

Asami stared at Kento before turning her attention back to Ryo. He hadn't moved, still processing the information Asami had told them about Tiffany. Asami slowly got up from the bed and walked up to him. She raised a hand and placed it on his cheek, noticing the tears that were swarming in his eyes. She gave him a small smile and brought him into a hug, running her hand up and down his back while her other hand cradled the back of his head. Ryo closed his eyes and returned the hug.

* * *

Sephiran clutched the armrests of his throne, glaring daggers at Naga. The general avoided his master's gaze by looking at his feet. Fuzen and Karver kept glancing back and forth between Sephiran and Naga, wondering who was going to speak first.

Kai was the first to speak. "Naga, what do you mean Asami got away?"

Naga looked over towards him, trying his hardest not to look at Sephiran. "I had her in my clutches, but those warriors came in and were able to get her out of there. She even put herself in front of my attack to save one of them."

"What?!" Sephiran screeched, lurching forward. "You mean to tell me you sent an attack towards one of the warriors but hit her instead?!"

"No, Master, I-"

"And she could possibly be on her death bed because of it?!"

Naga opened his mouth to scream when he was suddenly covered in a black mist. He heard something sparking within and then electricity struck, sending the general to lie flat on the floor as he withered around, screaming in pain. Sephiran waved his hand and the mist dispersed, leaving the general to tremble where he lay. Sephiran glared at him before addressing his two other generals. "Take him back to his room."

They bowed, mumbling their agreements, and both reached down to grab a part of Naga and drag him towards his room.

"That traitor." Sephiran leaned back into his throne. "How dare she defy me."

"My Lord, maybe we can use this to our advantage."

Sephiran eyed Kai, wondering what he could mean by this. "Remember when Asami came in to beg for Karver to stop hurting Tiffany? What if we tried that again but this time, to lure her in?"

"While I like the idea of the plan, Kai, that wouldn't work. If Asami is with the warriors, then they know that Tiffany would never forgive them if Asami turned herself in. We need another reason. But speaking of my daughter, is she breaking yet?"

Kai shook his head. "Not yet, I'm afraid. Fuzen checked in with the girl a few hours ago and, to him, it looked like she was somewhat healed."

"Damn it!" Sephiran slammed his fist down on his armrest, seething at the news. He knew that his wife did something to her after he left Tiffany's cell, but he didn't think she would heal some of the wounds. "At this rate, she'll never submit."

"What if we put her in the chamber?"

"No, she won't survive."

"Not for a long time, but just a day. Then, we can have each of the generals spend a day breaking her. I'm sure after those four days, she'll be ready to submit."

Sephiran thought about this, thinking over this plan Kai proposed to him. "You do realize once Tiffany goes in the chamber, anything can happen to her, right?"

"Not anything. I can set it to only the settings you request."

"All right. One day."

Kai bowed before Sephiran. "I will go get the chamber ready." Kai backed out, still bowing to Sephiran as he left the room.

* * *

Tiffany shifted in her restraints, twisting and turning her wrists to try and loosen the chains. However, they didn't let up and resulted in cutting her wrists even further. She even tried pulling at them, thinking her blood could be used to slip through but that didn't work either. Tiffany hung her head, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

The door to her cell opened and Fuzen walked in, heading towards Tiffany to undo the chains. "Master Sephiran requests your presence." With the chains gone, Tiffany collapsed to the ground and was then roughly hoisted to her feet. Her legs wobbled as she walked and whenever she stumbled, Fuzen would only drag her along which made her scrape her feet against the hard floor.

They turned down a hallway Tiffany didn't recognize, and she wondered where they were going. She saw Kai and Sephiran standing in front of a door at the end of the hallway and Fuzen held her against him when he stopped.

"You won't break, Tiffany, so you left me no choice," stated Sephiran, his eyes showing no emotion in them.

"We call this room the chamber," Kai explained, gesturing to the door behind him. "In this room, there is no time. Only you and whatever you encounter will be behind this door." He grabbed the door handle and slowly opened the door. A draft came from the room towards Tiffany, making her shiver from how sinister it felt. Fuzen started to push her towards the door and Tiffany tried to stop herself from going in, but she was only pushed onward. She could hear low growls and wails the closer she got, and fear crept up her spine. Right before she was pushed into the room, Fuzen leaned in and whispered, "Enjoy your stay in hell." He pushed her in and the door slammed shut behind her.

Tiffany turned around and was shocked to find there was no door behind her, just an empty space. Surveying the area, she found herself in a swamp like area, with withering trees and a dark green sky above her. A thick layer of fog covered the ground and the smell of mildew was in the air. Tiffany slowly walked forward, and the ground squished underneath her feet. She didn't know what she was stepping on, so she hoped it was mud and not something else squishing through her toes. As she took another step, something struck her and then the world around her went black.

* * *

Asami flinched, bringing her hands up to rub her arms. Iris saw this and came by her side with an extra blanket in hand. "Are you cold?"

"No, I just…I fear something happened with Tiffany." Asami looked up at Iris. "I think I made it worse." Asami tried to get up but Iris pushed her back down.

"Whatever you're planning to do, don't. It's not going to help Tiffany."

"Don't you tell me what to do! Tiffany, my own daughter, is probably facing a punishment because of me! I'm not going to just sit here and pretend that nothing is going on!"

Iris stood in front of Asami, placing her hands on her shoulders, and stared into the woman's eyes. "I know this is hard, but you have to stay here. You will be of no help to her if you die."

Asami stared at Iris for a bit before turning her head to the side. The sound of footsteps alerted the women to a visitor and they turned to their guest. Mika stood a few feet in front of them, wringing her hands together. "I…I just wanted to see how you were doing, Asami," she explained.

Asami smiled at the young woman. "Mika, I'm so happy you're here. Come, sit down next to me." Asami scooched over, patting the spot next to her. Mika walked around Iris and sat down on the bed, staring at her hands.

"I'm going to check on the other patients," Iris said, knowing that they probably wanted to be alone. "Call me if you need anything." She walked away to another cot to check on the patient.

"How are you doing?" Asami asked once Iris was out of sight.

Mika shrugged. "Ok, I guess. The guys still hate me, but I think some of them are coming around to forgive me." She closed her eyes as she let out a sigh. "Even though Ryo says he forgives me, I know he never will. Not after what is going on with Tiffany."

Asami rubbed Mika's back reassuringly. "I'm sorry for what my husband put you through. He was so desperate to get Tiffany, he would do anything to get her. I didn't know what his plans were until he was putting them into action." Asami thought of the day she saw her daughter looking so miserable and she was relieved when her friends came in to save her from being taken by Karver.

"I hurt your daughter, and I'm so sorry for it." Mika sniffled and hastily wiped her eyes to keep the tears at bay. "I didn't think I…I was going to be like him."

Asami brought Mika into a hug, rocky the young woman as Mika squeezed her eyes shut to keep herself from crying. Mika laid her head on Asami's shoulder but when she felt her flinch, she lifted her head back up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, dear. Just had an incident with Naga."

Mika narrowed her eyes as determination set across her face. After what these people did to her, she wanted to get back at them. She didn't care if the guys were going to let her help them or not. She was going to do it. "Asami, they need to pay."

"I agree." Asami nodded her head and then looked across the way to where Iris was. She leaned in closer to Mika, whispering, "You want to help me take down one of the generals?"

Mika quickly snapped her head up at Asami, staring at her with wide eyes. At first, she couldn't believe what Asami was asking of her. Take on one of the generals? That was crazy. But, the more Mika thought about it and how the generals had tricked her, she nodded her head in agreement. "When?"

"We need to wait till Iris leaves and then we'll go."


	24. Chapter 24

**I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 24

Sage and Cye sat in the food court, eating the rations that were being passed out now. They made small talk as they ate, talking about anything except what was truly on their mind.

Kento walked up to them with his rations in his hand, sitting down in front of the two.

"Little lite there, Kento?" Cye joked, eyeing his friend's very small portion of food.

"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Kento. "Look, there are people who need food more than me."

Sage nodded his head in approval. "Where's Rowen?"

"He's getting the others to come get food, but I don't think Ryo is gonna want to eat."

"But if we are going to be storming the castle in a few days, shouldn't Ryo get his strength up?" Cye asked them.

"Right now, his head is not where it should be." Sage sighed, staring down at the food in his hands. "Not after what Asami said."

"What did she say?"

Kento turned to him and Cye was shocked to see him with a mournful expression. "Ryo thought Asami was Tiffany and when he asked Asami how Tiffany was, she didn't give an answer."

Cye flinched and lowered the rice ball in his hands. He wasn't hungry anymore for he kept on thinking about what Tiffany was going through.

Kento snarled and punched the wall next to him, cracking it a bit. The surrounding people jumped at his outburst and some of them moved away from the men in case he had another one.

"Kento," Sage warned, eyeing the people around them.

"No, that bastard is torturing his own daughter and he doesn't give a shit about what happens to her! Tiffany had to go through that incident with Ryo and now she has to worry about this?!"

"She had to worry about the three of us as well," Rowen added, sitting down. "Cye was the only one that was on her good side."

"Where's Ryo?" wondered Cye.

Rowen shook his head. "We got our rations, but he said he would rather be alone for a little bit. White Blaze and Kalana are with him in case he does anything."

Sage saw someone coming out of the corner of his eye and turned as Iris came up beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "How are you boys doing?"

"We're fine," he answered. "Just talking about what to do next."

Iris nodded, taking a quick glance around the group. "Where's Ryo?"

"He went off by himself," answered Rowen. He gestured to the stairway. "I think he went to the movie theater."

"Ok, I think I'll go talk to him. But the reason I came over is I was wondering where Kayura went."

"She went back to her village to connect a pathway from there to here," explained Cye. "I don't know how long she is going to take."

"Oh, good. I'm running low on medical supplies and I know if you get Tiffany, I won't have enough to help her."

"We can go on a run and go get some stuff," suggested Rowen. "Give us some time to scout the area again."

Iris smiled at him. "That'll be great, thank you." She looked at the stairway and back to the group. "And don't tell Ryo about my request. Just go before he asks so that way he doesn't ask to go along. I think he needs to calm down a bit before he does anything rash."

The others nodded in agreement and, as they were talking, no one saw Asami and Mika sneaking out of the mall.

* * *

Ryo leaned up against the wall, his food rations crumbled in a ball beside him. White Blaze and Kalana laid on either side of him and Ryo was watching as they slept. His eyes soon grew heavy and it wasn't long before he fell asleep too.

When Ryo opened his eyes again, he was in a swamp area, heavy fog all around him. As Ryo observed his surroundings, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head; an ominous feeling of déjà vu. He heard something moving behind him and he turned around, getting into a fighting stance. The rustling got louder until a hand shot out from the fog. Ryo flinched but didn't move from his position, waiting for the hand to do something but it only flailed about. He heard heavy breathing coming from underneath the fog and it wasn't until the breathing transformed into screaming that Ryo jumped into action. He grabbed hold of the hand and started to pull, getting the person a few inches out until they were dragged back under by some unseen force. But Ryo didn't give up, determined to set the person free. He closed his eyes and pulled with all his might until he fell back against the ground and the person fell on top of him. He opened his eyes, staring into the eyes of his lover.

"Ryo?" Tiffany slowly asked, tears forming in her eyes. Ryo had no words to say so he pulled Tiffany against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Tiffany hugged him back, sobbing in both relief and happiness when she felt Ryo's lips press against her head. Their moment was short lived when Tiffany remembered where they were and pushed herself away from Ryo. Her eyes were filled with fear and they kept darting around the area. "What are you doing here?"

Ryo's eyes narrowed in concern, slowly sitting up so he was eye level with Tiffany. "What-"

"How did you get in here?" They heard rustling behind and Tiffany spun around to check before turning back to Ryo. "You have to get out of here." She started pushing him away, but Ryo wouldn't move.

"Tiffany, stop." Ryo grabbed hold of her hands, noticing the scars lining her arms. "Who did this to you?" He met her eyes again and saw the tears streaming down her face.

Wind whistled around them which made Tiffany flinch and start shaking in terror. Ryo brought her into his arms, trying to soothe her when he realized the wind was whispering.

"Bad girl," a low, squeaky voice said. "She's been bad."

"Needs to be punished," another said, the voice gravely and harsh.

"No mercy," a deep, sinister voice said.

More voices added in, all of them involving punishing Tiffany and fear crept up the woman's spine. She could feel their icy tendrils on her skin as they pierced her and dragged down her arms. They would make sure her legs were pinned to the ground, so she couldn't run and then assault her body with anything they got their hands on. She tried to fight them off, push them away, but they grew tired of her fighting and held her arms to the ground as well. All she could do was scream and wiggle around in hopes to get away. She couldn't see them for they were shrouded in darkness, only seeing a glimpse of their bodies when they went to strike. She had only managed to get away when they thought she wouldn't fight back. Who knows what they would do to her when they got hold of her again. Tiffany released a choked sob at the thought, inching herself closer to Ryo to try and put some distance between herself and whatever lied beneath the fog.

Ryo stared at the shifting fog before turning his attention back to Tiffany. "Hey." He gently grabbed her chin and tried to turn her face towards him, but her eyes were locked on the fog. "Tiffany, look at me." She slowly turned to Ryo, fear displayed across her face. He cradled her face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away the tears. "We're coming to get you. I promise, we'll get you out and you'll be safe." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You have to keep fighting, Tiffany. Don't let them break you."

Tiffany smiled back at him, closing her eyes as she leaned her head into his hands. Ryo leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead before kissing her on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Tiffany choked out, resting her head against his. She felt something grab her legs and was pulled back under. She let out a scream, but Ryo grabbed hold of her upper arms, keeping her above the fog. "Ryo…" She tried to reason with him, but he shook his head.

"No, I'm not letting you go."

The arms snaked their way up her legs to her waist, pulling harder to get Tiffany under the fog. She felt Ryo losing his grip, his hands slowly slipping from his hold, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she was under the mercy of these creatures. She grabbed hold of Ryo, making eye-contact with him as her heart beat a mile a minute. "Tell the guys I miss them and not to stop fighting no matter what happens." Black threads slowly circled around Tiffany's chest. "If you find my mom, tell her I wished I could have spent more time with her and gotten to know more about her and my home." Hands appeared over Ryo's, trying to pry them away from his hold on Tiffany. "And if you ever see Iris again, tell her I loved working with her." Threads wrapped around Ryo and started pulling him as well. Ryo lost his grip but regained it, now holding on to her hands. The two stared into each other's eyes and Tiffany gave him a smile as tears ran down her face. "Tell everyone I love them." With a final tug, Tiffany was wrenched from Ryo and she screamed as she was dragged back under the fog.

"Tiffany!" Ryo screamed, trying to go after her but the threads tightened around him, wrapping around his throat. He gasped for air as he dropped to his knees, struggling to get out of his bonds. They only grew tighter and the world around him started to go blurry. Through his blurred vision, he saw something rise from the fog. The black tendril formed into a claw, the sharp ends pointing at Ryo before launching itself at him.

Iris suddenly appeared in front of Ryo, blocking the claw from striking him. She turned to him and released him of his bonds, holding him in her arms. Iris saw more black threads rise from the fog and she closed her eyes, a light slowly forming around them as the threads advanced.

* * *

Ryo opened his eyes, taking in a huge gulp of air and as he kept taking deep breaths, feeling a tightening in his chest. He started coughing and he blinked rapidly as his vision started to blur from the tears in his eyes. Something nudged his side and he turned his head to find White Blaze staring at him. The tiger whined and then nuzzled Ryo again, rubbing his head against Ryo's chest. Ryo then noticed his friends standing around them and Iris was kneeling beside him, all of them with worried expressions on their faces.

"What...?" Ryo started but winced when his voice cracked. He rubbed his throat, coughing to clear it.

"Thank goodness I got to you in time," Iris said, reaching behind her to get something.

"We thought we were going to lose you, buddy," explained Kento, squatting down next to Ryo. He then reached an arm behind Ryo, helping him to sit up as Iris handed him a bottle of water.

"Mia came up to check on you and noticed something wasn't right. She said you weren't breathing and called us to help," Sage explained as Ryo took a couple sips of his water.

"I believe you were having an out-of-body experience," stated Iris. "While your physical body stayed here, your soul transferred to a different place." Iris shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "But I don't know how you did it."

"Me neither," Ryo answered after he was sure he could talk. "I had closed my eyes to sleep and when I woke up again, I was in this swamp-like area. I didn't know where I was, and I thought I was dreaming until I…" Ryo trailed off as he thought about everything that happened.

"Until you what?" Cye urged.

"I saw Tiffany, and even she wondered how I got in that place. I tried to help her, but those creatures pulled her back before I could do anything."

"Those threads that were around you?" Iris questioned, and Ryo nodded in confirmation. He could only imagine what Tiffany was going through now and it made his heart throb to know she was suffering. He made eye-contact with everyone as he said, "She wanted me to tell all of you that she loves and misses you. She doesn't want us to stop fighting." Ryo turned to Iris. "She said she loved working with you."

Iris silently gasped, placing a hand over her mouth as tears filled her eyes. The others clenched their fists in anger and to Cye, it sounded like Tiffany was saying good-bye. Ryo took a deep breath and then stood up, his eyes flaring with refound determination. He looked at Rowen. "What did you find out about the entrance?"

"It's guarded, and we would have to either sneak or fight our way to get in," Rowen answered.

Ryo nodded. "We're going to need a diversion if we want to get in without being noticed."

"If some of us create a scene to where the soldiers follow us, the rest can get in, so it would be easier to sneak around the castle," explained Sage. "Maybe we could bring Anubis as well. The soldiers weren't created until after he was saved, and they wouldn't know."

"Iris!"

The group turned around as Yulie ran up to them, distress on the boy's face. Iris got up and met him halfway, grabbing hold of him to steady him. "What's wrong?"

"Asami and Mika, they're gone."

"What?!"

"I went in to check on them and they weren't in the infirmary. The people said they saw them leave about ten minutes ago, but they never came back."

"Have you checked the whole mall?" Cye asked.

"That's just it. When I asked the people around the mall, they said they saw two women walking towards the exit, but they did nothing to stop them. Someone said one of them was carrying the Jewel of Life."

"But how?" Sage turned to Rowen. "Didn't Kayura give you the jewel before she left?"

"Yeah, I-" Rowen felt around his neck and was shocked to discover it wasn't there anymore. "That's impossible. I put it around my neck when Kayura gave it to me."

"We have to go find them," said Ryo. "Before anything happens to them."

* * *

Mika and Asami slowly walked through the city, heading towards the castle.

"Do you remember the plan?" Asami asked her and Mika nodded. She then produced the Jewel of Life. "I thought this could help us."

"How did you get that?" Asami stared at it, stunned.

"When Rowen came in to give us rations, I used my ability to get it without him knowing."

Asami nodded, cracking a smile at her explanation. She then saw the castle in her sights and her smile faded. "Ok, let's do this."

Mika nodded and Asami put her arms behind her back, allowing Mika to grab hold of them. The two stopped just outside the lines of the castle and Mika looked up at the sky. "I offer a truce by giving this one to you!" Mika yelled, pushing Asami forward as an added effect.

Black mist formed in front of them, shaping into a man before evaporating, revealing Naga. The general smiled at them as he focused in on Asami. "Thought you could get away, didn't you?" he asked and chuckled when Asami struggled against Mika, glaring down at him. Naga looked away from Asami and towards Mika, his smile disappearing. "You said a truce? What do you mean?"

Mika pushed Asami forward a bit. "I'm giving you Asami in exchange for freedom. I want nothing to do with the Ronins or this battle. Just let me go. I'll leave this city, and give you Asami."

Naga raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her proposal. "You're not upset by Sephiran using you?"

"Oh, I'm still upset but the Ronins don't want me. I figured that if I don't want to help both sides, I'll just leave. But how can I leave when I'm not certain if I won't get captured? So, when I saw Asami, I thought this would be my only chance to get what I want." Mika took a step forward, pushing Asami along with her. "Take Asami and I'll go. I won't help the Ronins nor will I interfere with Sephiran's plans."

Naga thought about her offer and Mika stared him down but, on the inside, she was nervous. She didn't know if Naga would accept it or not and it unnerved her with the silence. She then heard Naga let out a sigh.

"All right, I'll take your deal." He held out a hand as his other hand snaked behind his back, grabbing hold of his katana. "Hand her over to me and I'll let you go."

Mika nodded, walking over towards him with Asami in tow. When they were just inches from each other, Mika stopped and glared at him which made Naga falter in confusion. "What is it, girl?" Mika let go of Asami and when Naga tried to attack, he found that he couldn't move. His eyes scanned over his lower half, trying to understand what was wrong when he met Mika's eyes and saw the smirk crawling across her face. "You bitch!"

Asami stepped forward, placing one hand on Naga's head and the other over his chest where his heart was located. She glared into his eyes, remembering what her daughter told her. "You will not hurt anyone anymore. Kiyomemasu!" Light surrounded Naga and he threw his head back, releasing a scream but suddenly, the light faded, and Naga was still screaming. Asami furrowed her eyebrows and then her face twisted in fear as Naga's screaming turned into laughing. He lowered his head back down, chuckling when he met Asami's fearful expression. "You really thought that was going to work on me?"

Mika flinched at their failed plan that she took her attention off Naga and it was too late before she realized what she had done. Naga grabbed hold of Asami and before Mika could get him to stop moving, he took out his katana and rammed the sword into Asami. Mika screamed in terror as Asami let out a pained gasp. She stared into Naga's cold eyes as he twisted the blade inside her and then ripped it out, making the whole a little bigger. Asami fell to her knees, her hand pressed against her wound. She felt her blood seep through her fingers and looked down, removing her hand and staring at the blood. The tip of a sword pressed against her chin and it pressed against it, forcing her head to focus her attention on Naga. The general smiled at her. "I'll give the Priestess your regards." He pulled the katana back, the tip gleaming at her.

"No!" Mika screamed, pushing her hand out. Naga froze, and Mika threw her hand to the side, making Naga fly across the way and into a building. Mika watched him go and then hurried towards Asami, kneeling next to her. Blood was pooling at her feet and Asami coughed, blood trickling down her chin.

"We have to go," Mika urged, wrapping her arms around Asami to lift her to her feet.

"I can't," Asami wheezed. "I'll only…hold you back."

"I'm not leaving you here!"

Asami looked up at her and smiled. Mika noticed her skin was turning pale and it was only a matter of time before she died from loss of blood. "I'm sorry you were brought into this mess. I should have killed Sephiran when I had the chance and none of this would have happened." Asami coughed again and more blood spilled out of her mouth. She winced in pain and she could feel death's icy grip pulling her into a slumber.

Mika stared at her and looked up when she heard rumbling. Naga slowly approached the two, his face no longer showing the grin he had on. He was furious, his mouth in a straight line and his eyes narrowed into slits. He held another katana and they dragged across the road, the scratch of the blades echoing throughout the area, almost giving the women the sound of death walking towards them.

Asami glanced back at him before turning to look at Mika. She gave her another smile and threw her arms around the young woman. She squeezed her tight, eyes shut as she stealthily took the jewel from Mika's hands. Asami then pushed her away, creating a barrier between themselves and Naga. Mika launched herself at the barrier, her fists hitting it to try and break it. She screamed Asami's name over and over again, hoping to knock some sense into her.

Asami heard the pleas but ignored them, focusing her attention on Naga. The general picked up his pace and then started running towards her. Asami held the Jewel of Life tightly in her hand and stared Naga down as he came at her. He raised his katanas and Asami used her remaining strength to launch herself at Naga, holding the jewel against his heart as the swords pierced her again.

Silence filled the area and Mika stopped her assault. She heard someone calling her and Asami's name but ignored it as the barrier dropped. Her heart stopped when she saw Asami lying on the ground, blood pooling around her. The jewel laid next to Asami's hand and blood dripped from the swords over the body. Mika's eyes trailed up to the general and the tears streamed down her face at the sight.

Sekhmet stared back at her, confusion on his face as he took in the scene below him. He saw the woman lying on the ground and her blood on his swords. He had no idea what happened from when he was taken over to where he was currently. He met Mika's eyes again, almost asking her to explain to him what happened.

The guys ran into the area, halting at the scene in front of them. Sage hurried over to Asami, placing two fingers on the side of her neck, and the others held their breath. He then closed his eyes and sighed, turning to back to the group and shaking his head.

Mika choked on a sob, her hands going to her mouth as she collapsed to her knees. She shook her head and she started screaming. Tears rapidly ran down her cheeks, her screams and cries echoing throughout the city. She was dimly aware of someone wrapping their arms around her and holding her but all she could focus on was Asami's dead body. How could she have agreed with this? Why didn't they just stay at the mall? Asami would still be alive and... _Tiffany would still have her mother_. At that thought, Mika broke down, lowering her head and her hands clutching it.

Cye looked down at the broken girl in his arms before looking up at Sekhmet, who was still confused at everything. Sekhmet stared at all of them before he finally spoke. "What happened?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Warning: graphic descriptions of violence. Not exactly M material, but I think it's a high T. More towards the end of the chapter so those who might be squeamish, tread carefully.**

 **I don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 25

Sephiran stopped where he was in the hallway, knowing that something wasn't right. He hurried back to his throne room and up towards a pit with a fire billowing in it. Waving his hand over the flames, a holographic image appeared over it and Sephiran searched throughout the city until it landed on the Ronins. He focused in on the image and his eyes widen when he saw Asami lying on the ground, blood pooling around her, and his general was talking with them. It was then Sephiran realized Naga was gone and the ex-Warlord had reclaimed his body. Sephiran took heavy breaths and he waved his hand again, the image disappearing from view. He walked up to his throne before turning around and kicking the pit over, the fire spilling out onto the floor. "Damn it!" He stared at the fire slowly spreading across his floor and then tore his gaze away from it. "KAI! GET IN HERE!"

It wasn't long after he screamed that Kai hurried in. "Ye-"

"GET MY DAUGHTER IN HERE! NOW!"

Kai nodded, not daring to speak as he hurried back out of the throne room and towards the chamber. He threw open the door, staring into the darkness as he called the demons in there to bring Tiffany forth. Tiffany was thrown at Kai's feet and she breathed heavily to keep herself from crying. Kai stared at the various cuts and bruises that lined Tiffany's body. Both of her arms and legs had scratch marks on them and there were bruises around her wrists and ankles for when she was held down. Her clothes were torn to shreds and no one would be able to make out she was originally wearing a kimono. The pieces stuck to her body and they swayed lightly from the wind blowing from the still open chamber door. Still gazing down at her, Kai slammed the door shut and knelt beside her, placing a hand on her arm. He smiled when Tiffany flinched at the contact. _It's only a matter of time,_ he thought to himself. _Soon, she'll be obeying Sephiran like a dog._ He wrapped his hand around her arm and jerked her to her feet, enjoying the pained scream that escaped her lips. Kai didn't say anything to her, just pulled her along to the throne room. Well, more like dragged for it seemed like most of her strength was gone and she wasn't doing anything to stop him from dragging half her body across the way.

He pulled her into the throne room, throwing her in and she landed with a resounded 'thud' in front of Sephiran's feet. Sephiran glared down at Tiffany, who still hadn't moved from her spot on the floor. "Get up," he ordered her, but Tiffany only laid where she was. Sephiran shot up from his throne and marched over to her, grabbing her by the hair and jerking her up. Tiffany released a shriek of pain as she stared into Sephiran's rageful eyes. "You will obey when I give you an order, do you understand?" He let go of her hair and she crumbled to the floor. Tiffany forced herself into a sitting position, even though her body was screaming at her to not move. Sitting up, she glared at Sephiran who glared right back at her.

"Stand up."

"I can't."

"Why not?!"

"I can't feel them."

"Feel what?!"

"My legs!"

Sephiran stared at her before nodding, turning away from her. Next thing Tiffany knew, Sephiran backhanded her, making her fall back on the floor. She gently touched her throbbing cheek and glanced back up at Sephiran.

"You've cost me too much already, Tiffany. First, you take away one of my generals then you refused to submit to me. Now, your mother is dead and Naga is gone!"

Tiffany's heart stopped. "My mom's dead?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. No, it couldn't be right. They had just talked, she was fine. "You're lying."

Sebastian let out a cruel laugh. "You think I would lie about this? She sacrificed herself to save that Warlord. If you had only obeyed, none of this would have happened! This is your fault!"

"She died because of you!" Tears pooled in Tiffany's eyes. "You started this whole thing! She would still be alive if you weren't power-hungry!"

Sephiran grabbed her and hauled her over to the fire slowly burning out. He grabbed a wooden stake and pressed it on her side, making Tiffany scream in pain as the fire burned her flesh, the wounds around the abused area sizzling. "You do not talk back to me!" Sephiran yelled over her screaming. "You did this to yourself!" He threw her away from the fire and then glared down at her, holding his hand out to her. Black energy sizzled around his hand and it sparked as it grew, enveloping his hand. "I was going to wait till you submitted, but I know that won't happen. I have no choice but to take it from you by force!" He expelled the black energy towards her but kept a connection between himself as the energy covered her.

Tiffany felt the energy cover her body, watching in fear as her whole body turned black and so did her vision. She rapidly looked around, searching for something to pop out, when a small shock ran through her before it increased, the shocks running deep into her body, stabbing her heart as Tiffany released a piercing scream. The matter over her clung to the floor, making it impossible for her to try to get away. She could feel something being sucked out of her, almost like it was trying to rip her skin off. Tiffany could only wiggle and scream as tears ran down her face.

She could feel the powers from the ex-Warlords leaving her body and each one that left made her slightly weaker. But when she felt the powers of her friends start to leave, she found new strength and fought through the pain, determined to not let Sephiran have anymore. She grit her teeth as the pain increased, the matter surrounding her desperate to suck all the powers out of her but she held on.

Soon, the pain stopped and Tiffany felt the matter slide off her and retreat back to Sephiran. She panted as she glanced up at him, her body trembling from the pain she endured and, through her blurred vision, saw that Sephiran was smirking at her. This made Tiffany confused, why was he happy when he only got four powers instead of all nine?

Sephiran knelt beside her and placed a hand on her, making her flinch from the contact. "You do realize that four is better than nothing, right?" He chuckled as he ran his hand over her head. "But I have an idea on how to get the others from you." Sephiran glanced up to look at Kai. "Get Karver and Fuzen in here."

Kai nodded and then left the room to retrieve the two generals, coming back moments later with Karver and Fuzen in tow and the generals bowed before him.

"You wanted to see us, Master?" Fuzen asked.

Sephiran stood back up to face his generals. "I'm done waiting. Send a message on every screen throughout the city to the Ronins. Lure them in by threatening her life." He gestured towards Tiffany. "Lure them in and get them to bring out the Inferno armor again. I will claim her remaining power one way or another."

"Yes, Master," they answered.

Sephiran started walking away before stopping, turning to look back at Tiffany before saying, "And make sure to discipline her and give her something to cover herself afterward." He then walked away, and Kai followed him.

Karver and Fuzen slowly walked up to her, brandishing their weapons as Tiffany whimpered on the floor. She glanced up at them once they got close to her and saw Karver raise his hand with the gauntlet on it. The next thing she knew, pain seared across her face and her vision in her right eye became red.

* * *

Iris walked around the make-shift infirmary, checking in with her patients when she heard footsteps coming towards her. She glanced up after checking in with an old man and saw Kayura walked towards her. The woman smiled at the priestess then walked up to her, pulling her away into a corner away from prying ears so they could discuss. "Have you…" Iris started but stopped when Kayura nodded her head.

"Yes, I connected my village to here. The process didn't take long, but my mother and her helpers created a drink to give to the people to make them forget this happened. Instead of remembering this event, they'll think a nasty storm came through and the city came to a halt for a few days."

"Good. What about the others?"

"Once Sephiran and his generals have been defeated, I'll cast an enchantment over the city, making them believe the same thing." Kayura glanced over the infirmary, a frown forming on her face when she didn't see Tiffany anywhere nor did she see the Ronins. She turned back to Iris. "Where is everyone?"

Iris opened her mouth to answer, but saw over Kayura's shoulder Sage walking up to them. No one else was with him, and Iris knew by the sadden look on his face that the news was not good. Kayura turned around just as Sage walked in and his expression changed to shock when he saw her. "Kayura? When did you get back?"

"Just now," she answered. "Where did you go? Did you go out to do another scout?"

Sage shook his head as he lowered it and he released a heavy sigh, thinking of the events that had transpired not that long ago. He tried to find the words to explain, but nothing came out.

"Sage?" Iris gently pried. "Did you find Asami and Mika?"

He nodded his head before taking a deep breath and letting it out, raising his head to look the two women in the eye. "We did, and they managed to get Sekhmet back."

"Where is he now?" Kayura asked.

"He's with Anubis. We've decided it would be better if those two stayed back for a while until Mika calms down."

"Has something happened with Mika?"

Sage shook his head again. "Not directly, but…" He paused to take another deep breath again. "Asami didn't make it."

Kayura gasped in shock as Iris raised a hand to her mouth, holding it as tears formed in her eyes.

"How?"

"From what Mika told us, the two went off to take on one of the generals, but Asami sacrificed herself in the end. By the time we found them, it was too late to help her."

The women stood in silence, not saying anything about the information. What could be said at this time? What could anything have been said to make this situation better? The only positive outcome from this, in Sage's perspective, was Sephiran had one less general. Asami had freed Sekhmet and now, only Karver and Fuzen were what stood between them and Sephiran.

"Where is Mika now?" Iris asked, her voice cracking a bit.

"I don't know. Once we got back, she headed off on her own. Mia saw this and went after her, but I have a feeling it may be a while before she shows herself again. Cye had mentioned that she blames herself for this and that she should have said no on Asami's offer."

Kayura turned to Iris. "I'm going to try and find her, see if I can talk to her. You let those who are sick or seriously injured know that I'll be coming back to take them to a place to get them help."

Iris nodded and then Kayura walked out of the infirmary. Sage gave Iris a small smile before walking out as well. He walked past the food court and took the stairs to the second floor, heading over to a store called 'Global Work' and saw Kento and Rowen standing in front of it, talking with each other. The two stopped and turned to him when he approached.

"Did you tell Iris?" Rowen started and Sage nodded his head.

"Kayura's back as well. She went to go find Mika to talk with her."

Kento leaned against the glass window, crossing his arms over his chest. "I still can't believe this happened. I don't understand why Mika even agreed to let Asami go out and take on a general. Did they honestly believe they could do it?"

"I think it was more about revenge than anything else. From what Mika was saying, it seems Asami was the one who planned this." Sage glanced around the area. "Where did Ryo and Cye go?"

"They went to talk with Anubis and Sekhmet," Rowen answered, gesturing his head to the right.

After Sekhmet had asked what happened, no one told him anything at first. Anubis was the one to say they should go back to the mall and he would explain everything to him. Mika had tried to run off, but Cye wouldn't let her, telling her she needed to go back with them. She didn't agree at first, but she must have realized there was no way to run from this and agreed to go with them back to the mall.

Of course, when they had all returned, Mika immediately sprinted off before anyone could say anything. Mia had watched her go and gave the guys a look before running off after her. Sekhmet was confused by this and that was when Anubis pulled him in the opposite direction, to explain to him what had happened. When the guys were alone, Sage told them he was going to tell Iris the news so she knows what happened to Asami, leaving them to go the make-shift infirmary.

"Hey, they're coming back," stated Kento as he jerked his head upwards and Sage and Rowen turned around to face Ryo and Cye walking over towards them. "What's the word?"

"Sekhmet was more upset at the fact he was taken over," Cye answered. "He said he didn't like to be used as a puppet."

"But he used to do Talpa's bidding so how is that any different?"

"There's a difference between willing and forcing, Kento," stated Sage. "When he was one of Talpa's Warlords, he and the others willingly served him. But Sephiran changed him, forcing him and the others to serve him."

Rowen turned to the two. "It was basically a possession." He looked back at Ryo and Cye. "But did you learn anything from him?"

Ryo shook his head. "He doesn't remember much. He said he tried to fight when the possession took over, but everything faded to black. The next thing he knew was standing over Asami with her blood dripping from his swords."

Silence hung over the group but was soon broken by Cye saying, "This would be hard to tell Tiffany what happened. After everything she's going through, how can we tell her, her mother was killed?"

"At least her sacrifice wasn't in vain," Sage commented, glancing over everyone. "She managed to save Sekhmet, bringing one less general to deal with."

Screaming pierced through the air, making the Ronins tense up as they hurried over to the edge of the floor. They glanced over the railing, looking for signs of soldiers in the mall or anything else going on, but the people down below were just as worried as they were as they too were looking for the screams.

Rowen heard footsteps running up to them and glanced over his shoulder, seeing Yulie hurrying up to them. "Yulie?"

He stopped short of the group, pointing behind him as he panted to catch his breath. "Guys…the theater!"

"What's wrong, Yulie?" Cye asked.

"The screens are coming on! Hurry!" Yulie ran back the way he came, and the guys followed right behind. They had no idea what the kid was talking about but knew something was wrong by his distressed face. The group passed by many different stores before coming to a section of the mall with three double, glass doors. Making their way inside, they saw Anubis, Sekhmet, Kayura, Mika and Mia all staring at the various screens inside the main lobby of the theatre. The screens were showing static and the loud, screeching noise from the static filled the lobby.

"What's going on?" demanded Kento as he looked around.

"Don't know," came Sekhmet's answer. "We heard the static from outside this place and came in the investigate."

"Anubis contacted me and told me to get up here," Kayura explained, tearing her eyes away from the screens to look at the Ronins. She opened her mouth to speak again when the static stopped, and the screens turned black. The group waited for something to pop up as they could hear noise coming from the TV

The screen turned white before focusing, Karver's face appearing on the screens with a wide smile spreading across his face. He took a few steps back as he put his arms behind his back. " _Greetings, Ronin Warriors. This message is being broadcasted to every screen within this city since we have no idea where you are, but we're tired of waiting."_ Karver raised one of his hands and the camera zoomed out, revealing himself to be standing in front of a building with a wide screen TV covering the top half which was also playing his message.

"Isn't that the area where we all met?" Mia wondered out loud and the Ronins nodded in response, remembering the area where their first fight with a Dynasty soldier took place.

" _Now, you must be wondering why I'm showing you this area or why I'm even doing this in the first place? Well, my Master is getting tired of waiting._ " Karver put his hand back behind his back as he slightly leaned forward. " _And so am I. So, you have exactly three hours to come to the location I've revealed to you to challenge us to a fight. No tricks or games, and if you think of not coming because you think it is a trick or any other reason you might have, well…_ " Karver chuckled as he straightened up and then gestured over to the right with his head. The camera slowly panned away from him and towards the right, landing on a sight that made the whole group tense up with Ryo sucking in a gasp of air.

Tiffany dangled from her wrists by a black thread and it wrapped around her, the thread cutting into parts of her body. A small brown tunic covered her chest and stopped just below her bikini line. It was tied over one shoulder and was already stained, turning the tunic into a dark copper color. Blood ran down her body and dripped from her bare feet, creating a small pool underneath her as her feet were inches from touching the ground. Her head was lowered to stare at the ground and, through the silence of the camera, the group could hear her uneven breaths.

Karver's chuckle was heard off-screen as he came into view, walking over towards Tiffany before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his side. " _As you can see, I don't think the Priestess can handle another…outing with us so if you're not here in three hours, then she is fair game to anything I do._ " Karver trailed his hand down to Tiffany's thigh as his fingers disappeared under the hem of her tunic. " _And I mean anything._ "

Ryo clenched his fists at his sides, his anger flooding through him at the thought of this general touching her, making her do actions against her will just so he could get some "fun" out of it.

" _Don't,_ " came Tiffany's strained reply.

Karver turned to Tiffany and he lovingly pushed her hair out of her face. " _What was that, sweetie?_ " He leaned in and nibbled on her neck. " _I think you need to speak up if you want them to hear you._ "

Tiffany slowly raised her head, her eyes meeting the camera. Mia gasped in horror as she grabbed hold of Yulie, turning him away and pressing his face into her side so he wouldn't see the gruesome marks on Tiffany's face. The others gazed on, horrified at what they saw, and Kento had to grab hold of Ryo to keep him from attacking the screen. Kayura released a choked sob and Anubis wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing her into his side. Cye's face turned white and he held a hand to his mouth as he tried to keep down the bile that threatened to come up.

Three jagged cuts ran from her hairline to her chin in a diagonal line. Her right eye was closed from the cuts and the tip of her nose was torn. Her lips were busted open and her chin was dripping blood every few seconds. Blood ran down her face from the cuts and her left eye held tears in them as her one good eye stared into the camera. " _Don't…come,_ " she spoke again, louder this time. " _T…Trap…_ " She started coughing and drops of blood came from her mouth.

Karver took a deep breath and then raised his hand with the gauntlet on it before thrusting it into Tiffany's side. She screamed in pain, her body twisting in her bonds as Karver twisted his hand before tearing it out, blood pouring from her open wound. Karver turned back to the camera, his gaze hardening as he said, " _Remember, you have three hours._ " The screen became static once more before turning to black.

Mika felt cold, tears running down her face from the image of Tiffany. She hastily wiped her eyes but more seemed to follow no matter what she did. She saw through her blurred vision Ryo wrenching himself from Kento's grip and walking over to the counter.

Ryo clutched the countertop, eyes scanning over the table as he tried to control the rage bubbling inside him. His fingers curled underneath the edge and he thought he heard a crack. He then caught sight of a jar sitting next to him and, before he could control himself, he grabbed the jar and chucked it at the screen, releasing a scream as he did so. The jar hit the screen with brute force, creating a crack right in the middle which stretched across the entire screen, the jar shattering on impact. He turned back to his friends who all looked ready to go out and kick Sephiran's ass.

"We got three hours," Ryo started after taking a deep breath to calm himself. "What's the plan?"


	26. Chapter 26

**Don't own Ronin Warriors. All OCs are mine.**

* * *

Chapter 26

"They're challenging you for a fight or else they punish Tiffany?" Iris asked, disbelief in her voice after hearing Ryo's explanation.

Ryo nodded. "As I said, we got three hours or they'll do anything to her, and she even told us not to come." He sighed, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and the stress of what was going on was wearing down on him. He still couldn't believe this was happening; after two years of peace and not having to worry about protecting the world, this happens and the one he loves is being tortured by her own father, nonetheless.

Iris watched the stress and worry flash over Ryo's face and she reached her hand over towards him, laying it on top of his knee. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she gave him a small smile before answering, "I know it's hard, having all that burden on your shoulders. I remember when Kaos was unsure of having you and your friends bear this responsibility, thinking it would be too much for you five to handle. But he was proven wrong; he told me how you five progressed and how you've learned to work together as a team." She drew her hand back as she noticed Kayura walking up to them.

"Have you talked to those people?" Kayura asked and Iris nodded in response. "Good. I'm going to take them over now and start to help them. Contact me if anything happens." The woman nodded again and Kayura turned to Ryo, laying a hand on his shoulder who looked up at her from the action. Kayura stared into his eyes before saying, "Remember that Cale and Dais are trapped by spirits. I know it's going to be hard, especially after what they did to Tiffany, but remember that they are still the Warlords."

"I know," Ryo stated, nodding his head. "That's why Anubis and Sekhmet are coming with."

"They're ready for you by the way. I just finished talking with them and they said they were just waiting for you."

"Got it." Ryo stood up from his seat and Iris did the same.

"Good luck and be safe," Iris told him as he gave them a wave before he walked away.

Ryo headed over to the entrance of the mall, thinking of what to do and how he was going to control himself once he spotted Tiffany. Seeing her all banged up already pushed him over the edge, and he knew he would have a hard time seeing her in person. They had to get her back, no matter what it cost.

"Ryo!" He turned at his name being called, spotting Mika hurrying over to him. He noticed her eyes were red, figuring that she was still upset over Asami's death. "Let me help you." Taken back by her answer, Ryo only stared at her in confusion as Mika continued, "I can hold them for you, make it so they wouldn't hurt you while you rescue Tiffany."

"I think it would be better if you stayed here," Ryo answered as he turned away from her and continued to walk. Mika, however, walked alongside him. "Why won't you let me come help?! You know I have telekinesis and it can help you further!"

"I still want you to stay here."

"Is it because of Kento? Do the others still not trust me?"

Ryo spun to face her. "Because I don't trust you!" Mika froze, staring at Ryo with wide eyes. "I might have forgiven you, but I still can't forget what you did. When we met, you were helping Talpa before you started helping us and you're doing the same thing again! How do I know you won't do something different or go back to helping Sephiran again?" He leaned in closer to her until their faces were inches apart and said, "I want Tiffany to come back alive." Mia flinched at the sentence but Ryo ignored it, turning back around to continue on towards his destination.

Ryo walked a few more minutes before arriving at the east entrance of the mall, seeing everyone already there. "Ready?" he asked them and they nodded in reply.

"We got the Jewel of Life back," Rowen stated. "We thought since it helped with Sekhmet, it may help with the other two."

"All right, let's go." The group of seven headed out of the mall and Mika watched from afar as they left. Her gaze hardened after they left, standing there for a few minutes before coming to a decision.

* * *

"Two hours remaining, my dear," Karver told Tiffany, giving her a kiss on her uninjured cheek. "Then the real fun can begin."

Tiffany tried to speak, but only garbled words came out. Karver had stuffed a gag in her mouth after telling the guys not to come, and he made it worse by telling her he was slightly turned on by the sight of her tied up and gagged. She hoped her friends heeded her warning, hoping they won't come for her for she wasn't lying when she said it was a trap. The bond she was wrapped up in connected with Sephiran and if they succeed at getting Ryo to show his Inferno armor again, the powers will activate and will automatically send it to Sephiran instead of Ryo, making him take more energy from his friends than necessary.

Fuzen walked up to stand next to Karver. "I just heard word from Kai; the warriors are on their way here."

Karver turned to Tiffany and smirked at her. "I guess your little friends didn't heed your warning." He chuckled before turning back to Fuzen. "Everything ready?

"Yes, after today, the world will belong to Sephiran."

Tiffany lowered her head, muffled whimpers coming out of her. She then felt fingers grab hold of her chin, lifting her head back up to face Karver. "Don't fret, my dear. I'm sure Sephiran will let you be with your friends. Of course, after I'm done with you" He leaned in and kissed her cheek, running his tongue over it.

"Karver." Footsteps were heard in the distance, coming closer with each second. Karver moved to stand beside Tiffany as he wrapped his arm around her waist, putting pressure on the wound he created as to warn her not to do anything.

It wasn't long before the five Ronin Warriors appeared before them, already in their full armor. They wasted no time brandishing their weapons once they saw the generals, pointing it at them.

"Not even a simple 'hello,' huh?" Karver tsked. "Right to the point it seems."

"You have ten seconds to release her," Ryo warned as he tightened his hold on his katanas. He glanced over Tiffany, his eyes filled with rage at seeing Karver's arm around her waist.

"Do you think you're in the position to give demands?" asked Fuzen and then gestured towards Tiffany. "I mean, if you think she's a liability, we can easily get rid of her."

"You lay another hand on her and you'll see what happens," Kento threatened, shifting into a fighting stance as he held his naginata out towards the generals.

"You'll really risk hurting her to get us?" Karver moved to stand behind Tiffany, revealing only half of his body towards the warriors. "Go ahead, show that awesome power of yours. Or, better yet, take out the Inferno armor again."

Muffled protests escaped from Tiffany's mouth, but released a strained cry when Karver's fingers dug into her wound.

"That's a good idea, Karver," commented Fuzen, smirking at the group. "Go ahead, show us the Inferno armor. I never got a good look at it last time."

The group turned to Ryo, waiting to hear his decision on the matter, but he was focused on Tiffany. He saw her slightly shaking her head, her eye pleading with him not to. He knew coming here that Sephiran wanted something from him and the way Tiffany was acting now, he realized it was about Inferno. Ryo turned his attention back to the general and narrowed his eyes. "No."

The answer stunned the generals at first, but Karver was quick to recover, smirking at the Ronin in a challenging way. "Or really?" He raised his hand, his fingers wiggling in a taunting manner before going underneath the toga. Tiffany whimpered, squeezing her eye shut as she felt his fingers prod between her legs. Karver enjoyed the way the warriors glared at him with hatred in their eyes and moved to place his head on Tiffany's shoulder. "Then I call your bluff. I believe you won't hold that armor back for long. Besides, I think you'll be changing your answer once you find out what I'm going to do with her."

"What do you mean?" Sage demanded. "We got here before our time was up. You said you wouldn't touch her!"

"I never said that, Ronin. Besides, haven't you learned better not to trust your enemy's word." Karver glanced Tiffany over before looking at her garment. An idea came to him and a twisted smile spread across his face as he turned back to the warriors, staring right at Ryo. With his other hand, he grabbed a fistful of the toga and then ripped it off Tiffany's body, letting the garment fall to the ground.

The warriors gasped, staring the horror that marked Tiffany. Claw marks slashed across Tiffany's stomach and chest mixed in with purple and black bruises. Her side was covered in blood which was running down her leg and onto the ground below. It only added to the number of slashes and cuts on her arms and legs and seeing her like this, it made it ten times worse.

"I just realized that I think only that one," Karver pointed at Ryo. "was the only one that got to see her like this so why not show her off to the rest of you? Which makes me wonder, boy, did you share her?" Ryo stilled at the question, his eyes wide with anger. "I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you did. If I had this sweet piece of ass," he grabbed Tiffany's butt, "I wouldn't mind showing her off to my friends. Wouldn't you agree, Fuzen?"

The other general chuckled, watching the way the warriors were shaking in rage at Karver's comments. "I agree with you, Karver, actually," he glanced back at the general. "Do you mind letting me have a go with her when you're finished?"

"Stop," Ryo demanded but the generals ignored him.

"Of course not. I bet Kai would love a round with her as well."

"Stop."

"Who knows, maybe Sephiran will want to have her as well."

"I said stop!"

The generals turned back to the warriors, wide smiles on his face. "Why should we?" Fuzen wondered. "It seems like you don't want to fight us."

"To think, this all could have been avoided if they just brought out the Inferno armor," commented Karver, running his hand over Tiffany's chest.

Tiffany kept her eye shut throughout the conversation, trying not to let the words affect her, but she knew they were affecting her friends. She opened her eye, glancing over at them to find they were seething in rage and Ryo looked about ready to bring out Inferno. Her hands grasped the thread binding her wrists and an idea flew into her head. She ran her fingers over the material, estimating how much force would be needed to cut it and figured just a sure-kill from one of them would be enough, but she needed someone with precision. Her eye immediately locked on Rowen and she prayed he would glance over at her.

As if hearing her prays, Rowen glanced over at Tiffany and she had to keep herself focused, she couldn't let Karver know she had a plan. She quickly glanced up at the thread, her fingers tapping it to get him to understand. He only stared at her, and she thought he wasn't going to get it until he took out an arrow and pointed it at herself and Karver.

"I'm warning you now," Rowen started. "Leave her alone or I will fire."

Karver burst out laughing and his friends stared at him in shock and fear.

"Rowen, what are you doing?" Cye whispered to him but he ignored it.

"Fine, go ahead." Karver moved his hands to Tiffany's waist, fingers digging into her skin. "Let's see how good of a marksman you are, boy. See if you can hit me without hurting her."

Rowen pulled the arrow back, energy slowly gathering at the tip of the arrow. He could hear the guys telling him to stop but he kept his concentration. He only had one shot and he had to make it count. "Arrow Shock Wave!" Before releasing his sure-kill, Rowen adjusted his aim a few inches higher before launching it. The arrow turned comment flew into the air and it was only when the attack got closer Fuzen realized where it was actually heading. "Karver!"

The sure-kill cut through the thread, releasing Tiffany from her bonds. Karver felt Tiffany's weight lean into him and he staggered back as he let her fall to the ground. He glared at Rowen, slowly taking out his blade. "You mother-"

A loud growl ripped through the air and Karver found himself on the ground as Kalana pinned him down, teeth and claws lashing out at him.

Fuzen turned to him before a blast of light hit him in the chest, sending him flying into the building behind him.

Karver pushed the beast off him and had enough time to take out his sword and deflect Ryo's oncoming attack. The warrior's face displayed nothing but rage and Kento stood next to him, backing his friend up but also making sure he didn't go too far. Karver glanced off to the side to see Fuzen fighting with Rowen and Sage while Cye was attending Tiffany with White Blaze and Kalana watching over. The general seethed at this before throwing himself at the warriors. "Get out of my way!"

Kento blocked his attack, pushing Karver back. "You're not going anywhere near her. Besides, we haven't gotten to the best part yet." He smirked and next thing Karver knew, a chain wrapped around his neck and yanked him back before throwing him into a building.

"About time."

Anubis landed next to Ryo. "Sorry, we didn't have a good shot."

Karver slowly got up, glaring at the three warriors in front of him.

"Snake Fang Strike!" A sure-kill launched at him, knocking him back into the building again.

Sekhmet stood next to Anubis, katanas raised to launch another attack at Karver.

"Go help Sage and Rowen," Ryo ordered, not taking his eyes off the general. "Anubis, Kento, and I got this one."

Sekhmet nodded and hurried over to the other two warriors who were currently in a battle with Fuzen. Kento, Ryo, and Anubis prepared themselves as Karver stumbled out of the building, rage practically spilling out of him. He raised his blade above his head, the weapon turning black as energy built up inside. "Punishing Wave!" He slashed his weapon across his body, sending a wave of black energy past the three warriors.

"Were you even trying?" taunted Kento, spinning his weapon to release his own sure-kill when he realized a smile was on the general's face.

"Who said I was aiming at you?"

Ryo froze as he glanced back, watching as the attack got closer to Cye and Tiffany. "Cye!"

Cye glanced up from untieing Tiffany and stood in shock at the rapidly approaching attack. He knew they wouldn't have time to get out of the way so he moved himself to cover Tiffany, bracing himself for the impact. But it never came. He slowly looked up, shocked to see Mika standing over him as she held out her hand, stopping the attack.

Mika glared at Karver who was staring at her in disbelief. She smirked at him and, with a flick of her wrist, sent the attack right back at him. Karver managed to evade that one but was then put on the defense by the other warriors attacking him. Mika turned to Cye and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You ok?"

He nodded, sitting back up. "Thanks." Turning his attention back to Tiffany, Cye carefully removed the bonds around Tiffany as Mika gently took the gag out of Tiffany's mouth. Mika stayed beside Cye as she watched, helping when he asked to lift a part of Tiffany's body so he could get the thread off her. She would glance up every time she heard a long bang to see what was happening, but also to deflect any attacks coming towards them.

"There," Cye stated, moving the last of the thread wrapped around Tiffany's ankles.

"T…" Cye glanced up at Tiffany who was struggling to speak. She then started coughing, leaning her head to the side as dots of blood sprayed on the ground. She slowly turned back to him, opening her mouth to speak. "Th…than…"

"Shh, don't try to talk," Mika gently ordered as she laid her hand on top of the woman's head.

Tiffany glanced over at her and gave Mika a small smile. She started to raise her hand, but couldn't find the strength to lift her arm. Mika saw this and grasped Tiffany's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Come on, let's get you to Iris."

"You're not going anywhere. Demon Blade!" The sure-kill struck Cye, knocking him away from Tiffany and Mika.

"Cye!" Mika screamed, quickly turning around to see Sephiran and Kai standing there with Sephiran glaring at them. He started walking up to them and White Blaze and Kalana growled at him. They both jumped at him, but Sephiran easily swatted them away like they were nothing but flies. Mika moved to stand in front of Tiffany, focusing her attention on Sephiran. He stopped moving for a second, his body twitching before he took a shaky step forward and then another one. Mika's eyes widen as Sephiran overcame her telekinesis and was slowly advancing on them. "Stay back!" she threatened, spreading her arms out.

Sephiran stood in front of her, not saying anything before reaching out and wrapping his hand around Mika's throat, lifting her a foot from the ground. Mika gasped for air, her fingers clawing at the hand around her throat as her vision became blurred by tears. "You have no power here, girl. Besides, you're not who I'm looking for." He threw her to the side and Kai latched on to her, holding her arms behind her back as Mika coughed to gain much-needed air back.

Sephiran glanced down at Tiffany who hadn't moved from her position. She only stared up at him, taking shallow breaths every now and then. Sephiran glanced back up at the fight, watching his generals lose the fight with the warriors.

"Shouldn't we assist them, my Lord?" Kai asked.

"No." Sephiran shook his head as he turned toward his advisor. "I have a better idea."

Fuzen dodged another one of Sage's attacks, rolling out of the way before getting back up. He smirked at the warriors, drawing back his weapon. The blades filled with red matter and then threw them at the warriors, screaming, "Nightmare Assault!" The blades pierced Sage and Rowen, surrounding them in the red aura and they started screaming, sinking to their knees as their nightmares played out in their heads.

Sekhmet appeared behind Fuzen, katanas raised. "You missed. Snake Fang Strike!" He launched his sure-kill at the general, making him release his weapon. Fuzen glared at Sekhmet, not realizing he had dropped his weapon nor Sage and Rowen recovering from the attack.

"Thunder Bolt Cut!"

"Arrow Shock Wave!"

Fuzen glanced over just as the two sure-kills struck him head on, knocking him into a building and himself out as well.

Karver saw his comrade go down and he growled, raised his sword once more, but Anubis jumped into the air, spinning his chain in the air. "Quake with Fear!" He launched the sure-kill at Karver and next thing the general knew, he was wrapped up in chains. "Now!"

Ryo and Kento powered up their sure-kills as Karver struggled to release himself from the chains.

"Flare Up Now!"

"Iron Rock Crusher!"

The attacks struck Karver, making him scream in pain at the sheer force of them. His body went limp in his bonds, not having the strength to move as Anubis walked up to him, Jewel of Life in his hand. Karver glanced behind the warriors and saw Sephiran standing next to Kai and it looked like he was absorbing the man. Karver chuckled, staring back at the warriors. "You will die." Anubis placed the jewel over Karver and light filled his body, feeling his essence leave as the owner of the body came forth.

"What did he mean by that?" Kento wondered, watching as Karver slumped in the chains. Anubis took the jewel and hurried over to Fuzen to do the same thing.

Ryo felt a chill go down his back and he slowly turned around, his eyes widening. "Oh no."

Kento turned towards Ryo, wondering what was wrong when he saw what was going on. Sage and Rowen felt it as well and turned around along with Sekhmet and Anubis. Cye slowly got to his feet and glanced over at Tiffany and Mika, seeing what was going on with Sephiran.

Sephiran released a satisfying sigh as he felt power build up in his body. He didn't know why he didn't do this in the first place, but sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. A black aura surrounded him and he smiled, clenching his fists before turning towards the warriors. They knew this was it, their final battle.


End file.
